Borrowed from Chinese 綺麗, made of 綺, patterned silk, and 麗, beautiful. It first meant gorgeous or splendid, and the senses of clean and tidy grew later in Japanese. 奇麗 is an older alternative spelling, and kana きれい is the most common way to write it today.
What does きれい mean?
きれい means beautiful or pretty, clean or tidy, and, when said of money, elections or relationships, fair and free of anything shady.
How do you read きれい, and how is it written in kanji?
It is read きれい (kirei). The kanji spelling is 綺麗, with 奇麗 as an older variant, but kana is the most common way to write it.
Why does きれい become きれいな before a noun?
It is a na-adjective, so it takes な before a noun (きれいな花), だ or です at the end of a sentence, and に before a verb (きれいに洗う).
Is きれい an i-adjective?
No. It ends in い, but that い belongs to the word itself, so the negative is きれいではない or, in casual speech, きれいじゃない.
What is the difference between きれい and 美しい?
きれい is the everyday word and also covers clean and tidy. 美しい sounds more formal or literary and is used mostly for beauty.
Can きれい describe a person?
Yes. きれいな人 is a beautiful person, and it suggests a refined, grown-up kind of looks rather than cute ones.