洁

潔

jié

吉 + 氵

Definitions

jié (adjective) clean; pure

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 吉 represents the sound. Simplified form of 潔.

Semantic: 氵 Phonetic: 吉

About

洁 expresses cleanliness, purity, and spotlessness, applying to physical objects, environments, and abstract moral integrity. The traditional character 潔 pairs the water radical 氵 (shuǐ), signaling the meaning, with the phonetic 絜 (xié), a complex element built from components for hand and silk thread. In the simplified form, the intricate right side 絜 was replaced by 吉 (jí, meaning lucky or auspicious), yielding 洁. Thus, 吉 now functions solely as the new phonetic marker, while 氵 continues to anchor the character in the idea of washing, cleansing, and attaining a pristine state free from dirt or contamination. This makes 洁 a phonosemantic compound and the official simplification of 潔.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这里的水很洁净。

Zhèlǐ de shuǐ hěn jiéjìng.

The water here is very clean.

妈妈把厨房打扫清洁了。

Māmā bǎ chúfáng dǎsǎo qīngjié le.

Mom cleaned the kitchen.

他的房间总是很整洁。

Tā de fángjiān zǒngshì hěn zhěngjié.

His room is always tidy.

她是一个纯洁的女孩。

Tā shì yīgè chúnjié de nǚhái.

She is a pure girl.

洁白的月光洒在地上。

Jiébái de yuèguāng sǎ zài dìshàng.

The pure white moonlight shines on the ground.

廉洁的政府受到人民尊敬。

Liánjié de zhèngfǔ shòudào rénmín zūnjìng.

An honest government is respected by the people.

她的洁癖有时让人受不了。

Tā de jiépǐ yǒushí ràng rén shòu bu liǎo.

Her cleanliness obsession is sometimes unbearable.

保持个人清洁是良好的习惯。

Bǎochí gèrén qīngjié shì liánghǎo de xíguàn.

Maintaining personal cleanliness is a good habit.

Related Characters

Component: 吉

Component: 氵

洁