干净
gānjìng
In Mandarin, "clean" is expressed as 干净 (gānjìng).
The term 干净 means to remove dirt from a place or object. To express the action of cleaning something (making it clean), it is common to use the verb 弄 (nòng, to do/handle) followed by 干净.
Meaning: (transitive) to remove dirt from a place or object (verb)
Which one should you use?
干净 (gānjìng) refers specifically to cleanliness/lack of dirt, whereas 整齐 (zhěngqí) refers to being neat, tidy or orderly.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwan, the term 乾淨 is commonly used to express "clean."
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using 干净 as an adjective to describe a noun, it is typically followed by the particle 的. When describing that something has become clean as a result of an action, the particle 了 is often added after 干净.
How do you pronounce it?
gānjìng
Did you know?
- The word 干净 can be used as a resultative complement to mean 'completely' or 'entirely', such as saying you have 'cleaned out' or totally exhausted a resource.
- The character 干 in 干净 originally depicted a shield or a weapon, but in this compound it has evolved to signify 'dry' or 'pure'.
- The word 干净 can be used to describe a 'clear' or 'transparent' sound in some literary contexts, describing how an instrument or voice is free of 'muddiness'.
Examples in context
- 我会弄干净的。I'll clean up.This sentence demonstrates the use of 弄干净 to express the intention to clean up.Tatoeba #13893691 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #2247702 by CK
- 这张桌子是干净的。This table is clean.This sentence shows how to use 干净 as an adjective to describe the state of a table.Tatoeba #431040 by GlossaMatik, translation #431039 by CM
- 下午你把房间收拾干净。Clean up the room in the afternoon.This sentence illustrates the use of 干净 in the context of cleaning a room.Tatoeba #9962473 by GlossaMatik, translation #13805333 by haohao
- 这个房间很整洁。This room is very clean.
- 请保持办公室整洁。Please keep the office clean.
- 我的房间很干净。My room is very clean.
- 把桌子擦干净。Clean the table.
- 注意保持教室乾淨。Pay attention to keeping the classroom clean.
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yuting asks Zhiqiang to help with the kitchen.
- 伟 Wei请把厨房洗干净。Qǐng bǎ chúfáng xǐ gānjìng.Please clean the kitchen.
- 雨婷 Yuting好的，我现在就去。Hǎo de, wǒ xiànzài jiù qù.Okay, I'll go right now.
- 伟 Wei洗干净了吗？Xǐ gānjìng le ma?Is it cleaned?
- 雨婷 Yuting洗干净了，你看。Xǐ gānjìng le, nǐ kàn.It's clean, look.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
