汚い（きたない、kitanai）
- dirty

The Japanese word 汚い (読み方: きたない, *kitanai*) primarily means "dirty," "unclean," or "filthy." It can describe a physical state of something being soiled, grimy, or covered in dirt. It can also be used metaphorically to describe something that is morally corrupt, unpleasant, or low-quality.

⚫︎ 部屋が汚い Translation: The room is dirty. ⚫︎ 彼の考え方は汚い Translation: His way of thinking is corrupt. ⚫︎ 汚い手で触らないでください Translation: Please don't touch it with dirty hands.

汚い is a versatile adjective. It's used to describe a wide range of things, from physical objects and environments to abstract concepts like behavior and thoughts. It is typically used to express a negative assessment or judgment. You can use it in various situations depending on what you want to describe.

⚫︎ The word 汚い is written with the kanji 汚 and the hiragana い. ⚫︎ The reading is きたない (*kitanai*) in hiragana. ⚫︎ There is only one common way to write this word. ⚫︎ The okurigana (the suffix hiragana) is always い. ⚫︎ The kanji 汚 can also be used in other words, such as 汚染（*osen*, pollution）. ⚫︎ 汚い is an い-adjective, so it conjugates like other い-adjectives. Examples: ・汚く (*kitaku* - adverb form) ・汚かった (*kitanakatta* - past tense) ・汚くない (*kitanakunai* - negative form) ・汚ければ (*kitanakereba* - conditional form) ・汚くて (*kitakute* - sequential form) ・汚さ (*kitasa* - noun form)

⚫︎ 不潔な (*fuketsuna*) - unclean, unsanitary ⚫︎ 不浄な (*fujōna*) - impure, defiled ⚫︎ 汚れた (*yogoreta*) - dirty, soiled (past tense of the verb 汚れる *yogoreru*) ⚫︎ 汚染された (*osen sareta*) - contaminated, polluted ⚫︎ ダーティな (*dātī na*) - dirty (loanword, from English)

⚫︎ きれいな (*kirei na*) - clean, beautiful ⚫︎ 清潔な (*seiketsuna*) - clean, hygienic ⚫︎ 浄な (*jōna*) - pure, clean

この公園はゴミが散らかっていて、汚いですね。 ・Translation: This park is littered with trash, it's dirty, isn't it? ・Explanation: The sentence describes the physical state of the park.

彼は汚い手を使って、お金を稼いだと言われている。 ・Translation: It is said that he earned money through unscrupulous means. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 汚い metaphorically to describe corrupt actions.

The kanji 汚 itself means "dirty" or "filthy." The origin of the word 汚い is rooted in the meaning of the kanji, indicating something that is tainted or impure.