A1 Expression 중립 1분 분량

汚いです

kitanai desu

It's dirty

연습하기

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Use {汚い|きたない}です to describe anything that is physically dirty, messy, or unclean in a standard polite tone.

  • Means: Something is dirty or unclean.
  • Used in: Describing rooms, clothes, or general hygiene.
  • Don't confuse: {汚い|きたない} (dirty) with {嫌い|きらい} (dislike).
Messy room + Frowning face = {汚い|きたない}です

내 수준에 맞는 설명:

{汚い|きたない} means dirty. You use it when something is not clean. For example, if your room is messy, you say 'This room is dirty'.
This is an i-adjective used to describe physical objects that are soiled. In Japanese, it is common to use this to express that a space needs cleaning. It can also describe unfair actions.
Beyond physical states, {汚い|きたない} is frequently used in social contexts to describe behavior that lacks integrity. It is an essential adjective for expressing dissatisfaction with one's environment or the conduct of others in a direct manner.
The term carries significant weight regarding social etiquette. While it functions as a simple descriptor, its usage requires caution due to the potential for causing offense. It effectively bridges the semantic domains of hygiene and moral ethics.
Linguistically, {汚い|きたない} functions as a primary evaluative adjective. Its etymological connection to spiritual impurity highlights the cultural intersection of hygiene and morality. In discourse, it serves as a strong marker of negative evaluation, often necessitating mitigation in formal registers.
The lexical item {汚い|きたない} demonstrates the cognitive mapping of physical dirt to abstract moral failings. In Japanese pragmatics, the choice to use this term over more euphemistic alternatives like 'not clean' signals a high degree of subjective judgment or frustration, reflecting the speaker's alignment with societal norms of order and purity.

뜻

To describe something as dirty or unclean.

🌍

문화적 배경

Cleanliness is next to godliness in Japan. Public spaces are kept pristine. Calling someone 'dirty' is a major social faux pas in almost all cultures.

💡

Context is key

Always check if you are describing a thing or a person to avoid being rude.

💡

Context is key

Always check if you are describing a thing or a person to avoid being rude.

셀프 테스트

Which word means 'dirty'?

The room is ____.

✓ 정답! ✗ 아쉬워요. 정답: {汚い|きたない}

{汚い|きたない} is the adjective for dirty.

🎉 점수: /1

시각 학습 자료

연습 문제 은행

2 연습 문제
정답을 골라봐 Fill Blank

✓ 정답! ✗ 아쉬워요. 정답:
Which word means 'dirty'? Choose A1

The room is ____.

✓ 정답! ✗ 아쉬워요. 정답: {汚い|きたない}

{汚い|きたない} is the adjective for dirty.

🎉 점수: /2

자주 묻는 질문

1 질문

Only if you are being very rude or describing their clothes.

관련 표현

🔗

{掃除|そうじ}する

builds on

To clean

🔗

{綺麗|きれい}な

contrast

Clean/Beautiful

어디서 쓸까?

🧹

Cleaning the room

Mom: 部屋が{汚い|きたない}ですよ。

Son: はい、今掃除します。

neutral
🎮

Unfair game

Friend: 今の技は{汚い|きたない}！

You: 勝てばいいんだよ。

informal

암기하기

기억법

Think of a 'Kitten' (Kitanai) playing in the mud and getting dirty.

시각적 연상

A white kitten jumping into a puddle of mud. It is now a 'Kitanai' kitten.

Rhyme

The kitten is muddy, the kitten is Kitanai.

Story

I saw a kitten. It jumped in the mud. Now it is very Kitanai. I must wash it.

In Other Languages

Similar to 'dirty' in English or 'sale' in French. It carries the same dual meaning of physical and moral dirt.

Word Web

{汚れる|よごれる}{清潔|せいけつ}{掃除|そうじ}{ゴミ|ごみ}{不潔|ふけつ}{綺麗|きれい}

챌린지

Look around your room for 5 minutes and label everything that is 'Kitanai'.

Review in 1, 3, 7, and 14 days.

발음

Stress Flat pitch accent.

Pronounce each syllable clearly.

격식 수준 스펙트럼

격식체
床が{汚い|きたない}でございます。

床が{汚い|きたない}でございます。 (Describing a floor)

중립
床が{汚い|きたない}です。

床が{汚い|きたない}です。 (Describing a floor)

비격식체
{汚い|きたない}ね。

{汚い|きたない}ね。 (Describing a floor)

속어
超{汚い|きたない}！

超{汚い|きたない}！ (Describing a floor)

From the verb {穢れる|けがれる}, meaning to be impure.

Heian:
Modern:

재미있는 사실

The kanji 汚 combines 'water' and 'to transform', implying water that has lost its purity.

문화 노트

Cleanliness is next to godliness in Japan. Public spaces are kept pristine.

“School children clean their own classrooms.”

Calling someone 'dirty' is a major social faux pas in almost all cultures.

“Avoid using it as a direct label for a person.”

대화 시작하기

“

最近、掃除しましたか？

자주 하는 실수

✗

{嫌い|きらい}です (I dislike it)

✓

{汚い|きたない}です (It is dirty)

literal translation
Learners often confuse the sounds of 'kitanai' and 'kirai'.

L1 Interference

0 1

In Other Languages

Spanish Very Similar

Sucio

Japanese has a stronger cultural taboo against being 'dirty'.

French Very Similar

Sale

French uses 'sale' more freely as an insult.

German Very Similar

Schmutzig

Japanese doesn't use 'kitanai' for jokes.

Japanese self

{汚い|きたない}

N/A

Arabic Very Similar

وسخ (Wasikh)

Arabic has stronger religious connotations for 'cleanliness'.

Spotted in the Real World

🌐

(1992)

“Shin-chan, your room is dirty!”

Misae scolding Shin-chan.

혼동하기 쉬운

汚いです 대 {嫌い|きらい}

Sounds similar.

Kitanai (dirty) vs Kirai (dislike).

자주 묻는 질문 (1)

Only if you are being very rude or describing their clothes.

usage contexts

Learning Path

Prerequisites

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