clean · pure

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 潔 has 15 strokes and appears in words for cleanliness, honorable conduct, and innocence.
• Basic usage: 潔い is read いさぎよい, and 潔白 is read けっぱく.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Conduct and innocence
  • 自分の負けを認める潔い態度 describes honorably accepting one's defeat.
  • 自分の潔白を主張した means maintaining one's innocence. Acting decisively without clinging to something differs from claiming to be free of wrongdoing.
• Reading and inflection
  • 潔く中止を決めた changes the ending of 潔い to く to describe deciding without hesitation to stop it.
  • 潔白 is read けっぱく, with a small っ and ぱく.