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)

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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.