clear; to understand clearly
HSK level
清楚 is written with 24 strokes (清: 11, 楚: 13). The animation replays automatically.
清楚 (qīngchu) is an adjective meaning 'clear' — used both for perception (a clear voice, a clear photo) and for understanding (to be clear about something in your mind).
Two things differ from English: first, 清楚 covers both 'clear to the senses' and 'clear in your head,' where English splits these into 'clear' vs. 'understand'; saying 我很清楚 means 'I understand it well,' not 'I am transparent.' Second, 清楚 frequently rides on a verb as a result complement: 听清楚 (hear clearly), 看清楚 (see clearly), 说清楚 (say clearly / spell it out).
The negated complement is 听不清楚 / 看不清楚 ('can't hear / see clearly'). The opposite is 模糊 (móhu, blurry / vague).
Note: Works in spoken and written contexts. Often used as a verb-like complement after 听 / 看 / 说 (听清楚 'hear clearly') — that pattern is more common in daily speech than the bare adjective.
Character by character
Memory hook: Clear water (清) makes things distinct (楚) — clear and easy to make out.
清楚 appears in 2 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
你说慢一点，我听不清楚。
Nǐ shuō màn yìdiǎn, wǒ tīng bù qīngchu.
Speak a bit slower — I can't hear you clearly.
spoken
这张照片很清楚。
Zhè zhāng zhàopiàn hěn qīngchu.
This photo is very clear.
neutral
我不太清楚他在哪儿。
Wǒ bù tài qīngchu tā zài nǎr.
I'm not really sure where he is.
spoken
请你说清楚一点。
Qǐng nǐ shuō qīngchu yìdiǎn.
Please say it more clearly.
neutral, polite
老师把这个问题讲得很清楚。
Lǎoshī bǎ zhège wèntí jiǎng de hěn qīngchu.
The teacher explained this question very clearly.
neutral
明白 emphasizes mental understanding ('I get it'); 清楚 can be physical clarity or mental clarity. After someone explains, 我明白了 and 我清楚了 are both fine, but for a clear photo you'd only say 清楚.
明确 is more formal/written — 'explicit, definite.' Used for rules, requirements, answers. 清楚 is everyday speech.
Acquire it by listening
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