綺麗な（きれいな、kireina）
- beautiful

The Japanese word 綺麗な (きれいな, kirei na) primarily means "beautiful," "pretty," "clean," or "tidy." It describes something that is aesthetically pleasing or free from dirt and clutter. It can apply to both physical appearances and abstract concepts like a well-organized plan. It's an adjective that modifies nouns, and its meaning can slightly vary based on context. 綺麗な indicates attractiveness, neatness, or flawlessness.

⚫︎あの花は綺麗ですね。 Translation: That flower is beautiful, isn't it? ⚫︎部屋を綺麗にしてください。 Translation: Please clean the room. ⚫︎綺麗な字で書いてください。 Translation: Please write in neat handwriting.

You use 綺麗な when you want to describe something as being beautiful, clean, or tidy. Place it before the noun it describes. When using it to describe a state or activity, you'll often use it in the adverbial form 綺麗に (kirei ni), meaning "beautifully" or "cleanly." You can use it in a variety of situations, such as describing a person, a place, an object, or even an abstract concept.

綺麗な is primarily written with the hiragana きれいに (kirei na). The kanji form is 奇麗な, which is less commonly used. The okurigana (送りがな) "な" is always present when 綺麗な functions as an adjective. The adverbial form, which is used to modify verbs, is 綺麗に (kirei ni), using the same kanji, if used.

⚫︎美しい (utsukushii): Beautiful (more general, often used for more profound beauty) ⚫︎可愛い (kawaii): Cute, lovely (often used for smaller or more endearing things) ⚫︎清潔な (seiketsu na): Clean, hygienic (focuses on cleanliness) ⚫︎立派な (rippa na): Splendid, magnificent (for something impressive) ⚫︎素敵な (suteki na): Nice, wonderful (a versatile word for things that are pleasing) ⚫︎綺麗 (kirei): neat

⚫︎汚い (きたない, kitanai): Dirty, messy ⚫︎不潔な (fuketsu na): Unclean, unsanitary ⚫︎醜い (minikui): Ugly ⚫︎乱雑な (ranzatsu na): Disorderly, chaotic

公園の紅葉が綺麗だった。 ・Translation: The autumn leaves in the park were beautiful. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 綺麗 to describe the beauty of the autumn leaves.

彼女は綺麗な声で歌った。 ・Translation: She sang with a beautiful voice. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 綺麗 in its adverbial form 綺麗に, modifying the verb "sung" to explain how she sang.

The word 綺麗 is derived from the combination of the kanji 奇 (ki), meaning "strange" or "unusual," and 麗 (rei), meaning "beautiful" or "lovely." This combination suggests something of unusual beauty or charm. The "な" is a na-adjective suffix. The original meaning implied a sense of "unusual" or "rare" beauty, but over time it evolved to simply mean "beautiful" or "pretty" in everyday use.