clean
HSK level
干净 (gānjìng) is the everyday adjective for 'clean' — free of dirt, dust, or mess.
It describes physical surfaces (干净的桌子 'a clean table'), clothes, hands, rooms, dishes, food, even one's appearance. Used after verbs as a resultative complement, it means 'completely / thoroughly': 吃干净 ('eat it all up'), 洗干净 ('wash clean'), 擦干净 ('wipe clean'). Beyond hygiene, 干净 has a slight extended sense of 'pure / above-board' (做事干净利落 'doing things cleanly and efficiently'), but its main use is the literal one.
The opposite is 脏 (zāng, 'dirty'). One important pronunciation note: 干 here is read with first tone (gān), not fourth tone (gàn, 'to do' — as in 干活 'to work').
Character by character
Memory hook: 干 ('dry') + 净 ('pure') — dry and pure, with no dirt left. Two characters that both point to cleanness.
这个房间很干净。
Zhège fángjiān hěn gānjìng.
This room is very clean.
neutral
请把手洗干净。
Qǐng bǎ shǒu xǐ gānjìng.
Please wash your hands clean.
polite
他把饭吃得干干净净。
Tā bǎ fàn chī de gāngānjìngjìng.
He ate his meal up cleanly, every bite.
spoken
这家饭店的厨房不太干净。
Zhè jiā fàndiàn de chúfáng bú tài gānjìng.
This restaurant's kitchen isn't very clean.
neutral
你的衣服洗干净了吗？
Nǐ de yīfu xǐ gānjìng le ma?
Did you get your clothes clean?
spoken
干净 is written with 11 strokes (干: 3, 净: 8). Tap replay to watch each character drawn again.
清洁 is more formal / written — used on cleaning products, in signage, and as a noun ('cleanliness, sanitation'). For everyday speech, always use 干净.
整洁 means 'tidy and clean' — emphasizes neat organization in addition to cleanliness. 干净 just means 'not dirty'; 整洁 means 'clean and well-arranged.'
Same character, different reading: 干 (gàn) is the verb 'to do / work' (干活, 干嘛 'what are you doing'). 干净 (gānjìng) uses the first-tone reading and means 'clean.'
Acquire it by listening
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