清
清
“clean”
Radical: 氵
Strokes: 11
Level: HSK 2
How 清 is built — side by side
氵
Water radical (三点水) · shuǐ
Three droplets of water. Any character with 氵 usually has something to do with liquids.
青
nature's color
nature's color; blue, green, black; young
The story behind 清
Water (氵) + 青 (qīng, blue-green) = clear (清). Clear water looks blue-green.
💡 青 gives both sound (qīng) and color meaning. 清明 (Qīngmíng) is the tomb-sweeping festival.
Words with 清
清楚 qīngchu — clear
清淡 qīng dàn — light (of food
澄清 chéng qīng — clear (of liquid)
清澈 qīng chè — clear
清晨 qīng chén — early morning
清除 qīng chú — eliminate
清洁 qīng jié — clean
清理 qīng lǐ — clear
清晰 qīng xī — clear
清醒 qīng xǐng — clear-headed
清真 qīng zhēn — Islamic
Related characters
Practice 清 in the free app — animated stroke order, tone training with your microphone, and spaced-repetition flashcards.
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