汚い

• Reading: きたない
• Romaji: kitanai
• Kanji breakdown: 汚 (kitana/o) — dirty, pollute, contaminate
• Pronunciation: /ki.ta.na.i/

Meaning

Dirty; filthy; unclean. Describes things that are physically or morally impure.

An i-adjective meaning dirty or filthy. Can describe physical dirtiness (汚い部屋 = dirty room), messy handwriting (汚い字), or morally unclean behavior (汚いやり方 = dirty methods). Conjugates regularly: 汚くない, 汚かった. The opposite is きれい (clean/pretty), which is a na-adjective.

Examples

1. 部屋が汚いから掃除してください。 The room is dirty, so please clean it.
2. 手が汚いので洗います。 My hands are dirty, so I'll wash them.
3. 汚い服を洗濯機に入れました。 I put the dirty clothes in the washing machine.

Usage Guide

Context: cleaning, daily life, descriptions

Tone: negative

Origin & History

The kanji 汚 combines the water radical (氵) with 亏, suggesting contaminated water. Used since Old Japanese to describe dirtiness and impurity.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal