Meaning

Primary

Honorable

Alternatives

Dignified, Gracious

Word Type

い adjective

Explanation

This is a single kanji with an on the end, meaning you know it's probably an adjective. The kanji means pure, but this is an adjective that often describes behavior or character, so it means honorable, dignified, or gracious.

How does that work? I guess if you can stay pure despite a tough situation, you must be pretty honorable and dignified. You're the type who can make a gracious apology (潔い謝り), have a dignified manner (潔い態度), or even die honorably (潔く死ぬ).

潔い is about being strong and doing the right thing without hesitation, especially when it's hard. For example, when someone admits their mistake honestly or handles a tough situation with courage, you can say they're 潔い. It's a way to praise someone for being straightforward and admirable in difficult times.

Reading

いさぎよい
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

Oh man, the reading for this is... like... crazy. First part can be something like it's soggy (いさぎ)... then the second part is like the word 良い (good). So, you can think of a honorableperson eating soggy cereal. They're so gracious that it doesn't matter to them how soggy it is. In fact, they accept it with dignity! They keep saying "it's soggy... 良い!" over and over again while eating the terribly soggy food.

Context

Context Sentences

いやー、あれは潔い判断でしたね。

Well, that was a graceful decision.

お父さん、君の潔い態度が気に入ったみたい。

It seems my dad liked your gracious attitude.

締切に間に合わなかったことを潔く謝ったら、あっさり許してもらえました。

I apologized graciously for missing the deadline and was forgiven pretty easily.

Kanji Composition