清 — “pure / clean” in Japanese

Grade 4せい, しょう, きよ

Radical ⽔ · radical 85 The building block this kanji is filed under

“pure / clean” in Japanese is 清, read sei, shou, kiyo (せい, しょう, きよ). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 清潔 (cleanliness).

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What does 清 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	清
Meaning	pure / clean
Readings	せい, しょう, きよ
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	清潔 (cleanliness)

How to read 清

清 is read sei (せい) or shou (しょう) or kiyo (きよ) depending on the word.

Words with 清

清潔
澄清

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Kanji read the same way as 清

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Updated: 2026-08-28