潔 means “clean, pure, gallant”
いさぎよい · isagiyoi
Also: undefiled, righteous
- Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)
- いさぎよい
- On'yomi (Chinese reading)
- ケツ
JLPT N1 · Taught in grade 5 · 15 strokes
The story
Water (氵) washing threads (糸) trimmed clean by a knife (刀): nothing dirty, nothing extra. 清潔 is clean, 簡潔 is concise, and 潔い is the virtue of owning a defeat or a mistake cleanly, without excuses.
Used in 潔い (isagiyoi, graceful in accepting/gallant), 清潔 (seiketsu, clean/hygienic), and 簡潔 (kanketsu, concise)
More from Modest & Kind
- 恭 reverent
- 淑 graceful
- 篤 sincere
- 睦 harmonious
- 廉 honest
- 謹 respectful
- 摯 earnest
- 遜 modest
- 慎 careful
- 懇 cordial
- 寛 tolerant
- 謙 humble
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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.