潔白（けっぱく、keっpaku）
- innocence

The Japanese word 潔白 (けっぱく - keppaku) primarily means "innocence," "purity," "blamelessness," or "spotlessness." It implies a state of being free from guilt, wrongdoing, or any kind of impurity, whether moral, ethical, or physical. It often refers to a clear conscience and a lack of involvement in something negative or questionable. The word emphasizes integrity and a clean record. It can be applied to both people and abstract concepts. The word also contains a nuance of firmness and unwavering adherence to principles.

⚫︎彼は潔白を主張した。 Translation: He insisted on his innocence. ⚫︎政治家の汚職疑惑について、潔白であることを証明する必要があった。 Translation: He needed to prove his innocence regarding the politician's corruption allegations. ⚫︎この研究は、科学的潔白さを保つように設計された。 Translation: This study was designed to maintain scientific integrity.

This word is used in formal and informal situations, but it often carries a sense of formality and seriousness, especially when dealing with legal or moral issues. You would use 潔白 when you want to emphasize someone's lack of guilt or wrongdoing, or the purity/integrity of something. It is common to use this word when one has to defend one's self from accusation or has to maintain the purity of a thing.

潔白 is written using the kanji 潔 (ke - meaning clean, pure) and 白 (paku/shiro - meaning white, innocent, pure). The reading is けっぱく in hiragana. There are no other common ways to write this word. The okurigana is fixed.

⚫︎ 無罪 (muzai) - innocence, not guilty ⚫︎ 清廉 (seiren) - integrity, honesty ⚫︎ 純粋 (junsui) - purity, genuine ⚫︎ 清白 (seihaku) - innocence, purity

⚫︎ 有罪 (yuuzai) - guilt, guilty ⚫︎ 汚職 (oshoku) - corruption ⚫︎ 不潔 (fuketsu) - unclean, dirty ⚫︎ 疑わしい (utagawashii) - suspicious

彼はその事件について潔白であると判明した。 ・Translation: He was found to be innocent of the incident. ・Explanation: This sentence confirms that the person was not involved in the crime and is free of blame.

彼女は不正行為を否定し、潔白を証明するために証拠を提示した。 ・Translation: She denied any wrongdoing and presented evidence to prove her innocence. ・Explanation: This example illustrates someone defending their reputation and providing evidence to clear their name.

The word 潔白 is a compound word. The kanji 潔 refers to being clean and pure. The kanji 白 means "white," which can be used to describe the purity or innocence. The combination of these two characters creates the meaning of 潔白, suggesting a state of being completely clean, pure, and free from any wrongdoing or stain.