Afrikaans skoon | ||
Albanian i pastër | ||
Amharic ንፁህ | ||
Arabic نظيف | ||
Armenian մաքուր | ||
Assamese পৰিষ্কাৰ | ||
Aymara q'uma | ||
Azerbaijani təmiz | ||
Bambara ka jɔsi | ||
Basque garbi | ||
Belarusian чысты | ||
Bengali পরিষ্কার | ||
Bhojpuri साफ | ||
Bosnian čist | ||
Bulgarian чисти | ||
Catalan net | ||
Cebuano limpyo | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 清洁 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 清潔 | ||
Corsican pulitu | ||
Croatian čist | ||
Czech čistý | ||
Danish ren | ||
Dhivehi ސާފުތާހިރު | ||
Dogri साफ | ||
Dutch schoon | ||
English clean | ||
Esperanto pura | ||
Estonian puhas | ||
Ewe dzadzɛ | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) malinis | ||
Finnish puhdas | ||
French nettoyer | ||
Frisian skjin | ||
Galician limpar | ||
Georgian სუფთა | ||
German sauber | ||
Greek καθαρη | ||
Guarani ipotĩ | ||
Gujarati ચોખ્ખો | ||
Haitian Creole pwòp | ||
Hausa mai tsabta | ||
Hawaiian maʻemaʻe | ||
Hebrew לְנַקוֹת | ||
Hindi स्वच्छ | ||
Hmong huv si | ||
Hungarian tiszta | ||
Icelandic hreint | ||
Igbo dị ọcha | ||
Ilocano nadalus | ||
Indonesian bersih | ||
Irish glan | ||
Italian pulito | ||
Japanese 掃除 | ||
Javanese resik | ||
Kannada ಸ್ವಚ್ .ಗೊಳಿಸಿ | ||
Kazakh таза | ||
Khmer ស្អាត | ||
Kinyarwanda isuku | ||
Konkani नितळ | ||
Korean 깨끗한 | ||
Krio klin | ||
Kurdish pak | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) پاک | ||
Kyrgyz таза | ||
Lao ສະອາດ | ||
Latin clean | ||
Latvian tīrs | ||
Lingala peto | ||
Lithuanian švarus | ||
Luganda buyonjo | ||
Luxembourgish propper | ||
Macedonian чист | ||
Maithili साफ | ||
Malagasy madio | ||
Malay bersih | ||
Malayalam വൃത്തിയായി | ||
Maltese nadif | ||
Maori ma | ||
Marathi स्वच्छ | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯁꯦꯡꯗꯣꯛꯄ | ||
Mizo fai | ||
Mongolian цэвэр | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) သန့်ရှင်း | ||
Nepali सफा | ||
Norwegian ren | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) woyera | ||
Odia (Oriya) ପରିଷ୍କାର | ||
Oromo qulqulluu | ||
Pashto پاک | ||
Persian تمیز | ||
Polish czysty | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) limpar \ limpo | ||
Punjabi ਸਾਫ | ||
Quechua pichay | ||
Romanian curat | ||
Russian чистый | ||
Samoan mamā | ||
Sanskrit स्वच्छम् | ||
Scots Gaelic glan | ||
Sepedi hlwekile | ||
Serbian чист | ||
Sesotho hlwekile | ||
Shona yakachena | ||
Sindhi صاف | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) පිරිසිදුයි | ||
Slovak čistý | ||
Slovenian čisto | ||
Somali nadiif ah | ||
Spanish limpiar | ||
Sundanese beresih | ||
Swahili safi | ||
Swedish rena | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) malinis | ||
Tajik тоза | ||
Tamil சுத்தமான | ||
Tatar чиста | ||
Telugu శుభ్రంగా | ||
Thai สะอาด | ||
Tigrinya ኣፅሪ | ||
Tsonga basile | ||
Turkish temiz | ||
Turkmen arassa | ||
Twi (Akan) ho te | ||
Ukrainian чистий | ||
Urdu صاف | ||
Uyghur پاكىزە | ||
Uzbek toza | ||
Vietnamese dọn dẹp | ||
Welsh yn lân | ||
Xhosa ucocekile | ||
Yiddish ריין | ||
Yoruba mimọ | ||
Zulu kuhlanzekile |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | In Afrikaans, the word "skoon" comes from the Dutch word "schoon", meaning "clean, pure, or beautiful" |
| Albanian | While in other Indo-European languages “paster” is used with the meaning “shepherd”, in Albanian it became “clean”. |
| Amharic | In Amharic, "ንፁህ" (clean) originates from the root "ንጽ" (to wash) and also means "pure" or "innocent". |
| Arabic | Apart from its main meaning of cleanliness, 'نظيف' (naḍīf) also means 'healthy' in Arabic. |
| Armenian | The word "մաքուր" can also mean "pure", "innocent", or "unblemished" in Armenian. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "təmiz" is also used metaphorically to mean "pure" or "uncontaminated". |
| Basque | The Basque word "garbi" can also refer to "pure", "sacred", or "holy" in some contexts. |
| Belarusian | "Чысты" (clean) in Belarusian also refers to something that wasn't used before. |
| Bengali | The word "পরিষ্কার" is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्र (pra)" meaning "forth" and "छंद (chhanda)" meaning "to cut" or "separate". |
| Bosnian | The word "čist" in Bosnian also has the meaning of "pure", "unmixed", or "genuine". |
| Bulgarian | Bulgarian word 'чисти' can also mean 'plain', 'blank' or 'clear', and is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'čistъ', meaning 'pure' or 'unadulterated'. |
| Catalan | "Net" in Catalan also means "grandchild" |
| Cebuano | It can also mean 'clear' in the sense of 'not obstructed,' as in the case of a path or way. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | Cleanliness in Chinese also has meanings of tidiness, order, neatness, and hygiene. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 清潔 (clean) literally means to "cleanse oneself" and is also used to refer to cleanliness of heart or mind. |
| Corsican | The Corsican word "pulitu" can also mean "neat", "orderly", or "tidy", and is related to the Latin "politus" meaning "polished". |
| Croatian | In Croatian, the word "čist" also means "pure" or "unadulterated". |
| Czech | The Czech word "čistý" shares its root with "čest" ("honor"), suggesting a deeper connection between purity and integrity in Czech culture. |
| Danish | The Danish word "ren" can also refer to innocence or purity. |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "schoon" can also mean "beautiful" or "pure". |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "pura" comes from the Spanish word "puro", which means "pure" or "uncontaminated". |
| Estonian | "Puhas" is a cognate of Finnish "puhdas" and derives from Proto-Uralic “puhta”, meaning "to sprinkle, spray". |
| Finnish | "Puhdas" in Finnish means "undefiled" or "pure" in Old Norse and "unadulterated" in Gothic. |
| French | "Nettoyer" means "to clean" in French, but it also has other meanings, such as "to purify" or "to cleanse." |
| Frisian | The word "skjin" in Frisian is derived from the Proto-Germanic root "*skainaz" meaning "bright" or "clear". |
| Galician | "Limpar" is a Portuguese verb that also has the meaning of "to file" in Galician. |
| Georgian | "სუფთა" (clean) also means 'pure' and 'free from impurities'. |
| German | The German word "sauber" also means "tidy", "clear", or "correct". |
| Greek | The word "ΚΑΘΑΡΗ" originates from the Greek word "καθαρός" and carries additional meanings such as "pure", "undefiled", or "uncontaminated". |
| Gujarati | ચોખ્ખો is also used in Gujarati to describe someone or something as honest or pure. |
| Haitian Creole | In Haitian Creole, 'pwòp' also refers to a state of balance, order, and harmony. |
| Hausa | The Hausa word for 'clean,' 'mai tsabta,' can also mean 'free of witchcraft' or 'pure.' |
| Hawaiian | The word 'maʻemaʻe' also means 'pure,' 'innocent,' or 'holy' in Hawaiian. |
| Hebrew | The word "לְנַקוֹת" in Hebrew can also be used figuratively to mean "to purify" or "to atone for sins." |
| Hindi | The Hindi word "स्वच्छ" comes from the Sanskrit word "शुच" meaning "to purify" or "to cleanse". |
| Hmong | The word 'huv si' can also mean 'to wash', 'to scrub', or 'to tidy up'. |
| Hungarian | The noun form of "tiszta" is "tisztaság" which means "purity". |
| Icelandic | In Icelandic, hreint can also refer to purity or clarity, particularly in a spiritual or moral sense. |
| Igbo | The Igbo word "dị ọcha" also means "to be pure" or "to be innocent". |
| Indonesian | The Indonesian word 'bersih' can also refer to purification rituals and ceremonies or to religious or ethical purity. |
| Irish | The Irish word "glan" is a homograph, also meaning "bright" or "pure". |
| Italian | "Pulito" comes from the Latin word "politus", meaning "smoothed, polished, refined". |
| Japanese | 掃除 (そうじ) literally means 'removing dirt,' from the verb 'to scrape' and the noun 'soil'. |
| Javanese | In Indonesian, "resik" also means "free from harm or injury", but in Javanese it additionally means "free from supernatural danger or impurity" |
| Kannada | The word "ಸ್ವಚ್ .ಗೊಳಿಸಿ" literally translates to "to make self-luminous or shiny" in Kannada. |
| Kazakh | The Kazakh word "таза" can also refer to a ritual purification ceremony involving water or fire. |
| Khmer | The Khmer word for “clean,” ស្អាត (s'at), also means “beautiful” or “neat.” |
| Korean | The word 깨끗한 (kkaekktan) can also mean 'neat' or 'orderly' |
| Kurdish | The word "pak" in Kurdish also means "pure" or "holy". |
| Kyrgyz | The word "таза" can also mean "pure" or "fresh" in Kyrgyz. |
| Latin | "Mundus," the Latin word for "clean," also means "world," suggesting a connection between cleanliness and order. |
| Latvian | The word "tīrs" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱei- or *ḱi-, meaning to cut or purify. |
| Lithuanian | "Švarus" shares a root with Sanskrit "çuci" and Old Irish "suirge," both meaning "pure." |
| Luxembourgish | Propper's alternate meaning, 'proper', derives from the French word 'propre' meaning 'one's own, individual' |
| Macedonian | The Macedonian word 'чист' is related to the Slavic word 'cistь', meaning 'purity' or 'honesty'. |
| Malagasy | The word "MADIO" also means "clear" or "transparent" in Malagasy. |
| Malay | The Malay word "bersih" also means "white" and can be used to describe someone who is innocent or pure. |
| Malayalam | The term 'വൃത്തിയായി' in Malayalam also refers to good health, hygiene, and proper conduct. |
| Maltese | The Maltese word "nadif" ultimately derives from the Arabic "naḍīf," meaning both "clean" and "pure," and is related to the Hebrew term "nāqî," meaning "clean," "innocent," or "guileless." |
| Maori | The Māori word |
| Marathi | The Sanskrit word 'swochchh' (स्वच्छ) is the etymological origin of 'swachchh' (स्वच्छ) in Marathi. In Hindi, the word also means 'good' and in Telugu it means 'true'. |
| Mongolian | The word “tsver” originates from the word “tsaav” (water) and is related to Mongolian's perception of “clean” water as something pure from nature. |
| Nepali | In Nepali, "सफा" also refers to a turban, a headdress traditionally worn by men |
| Norwegian | The Norwegian word "ren" not only means "clean", but also "pure", "innocent", or "chaste". |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | "Wo" in "woyera" relates to a place of honor |
| Pashto | The Pashto word پاک ultimately comes from the Persian word پاک ( |
| Persian | The Persian word "تمیز" (tamīz), in addition to meaning "clean", can also refer to the ability to distinguish right from wrong or to make subtle distinctions. |
| Polish | "Czysty" can also mean "pure" or "innocent" in Polish. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | 'Limpar' and 'limpo' both originate from the Latin word 'limpidus', meaning 'clear,' 'bright,' or 'transparent'. |
| Punjabi | The word 'ਸਾਫ' ('clean') in Punjabi can also mean 'clear' or 'transparent'. |
| Romanian | The word "curat" in Romanian also means "pure" and "genuine" |
| Russian | The word "чистый" also means "pure", "unadulterated", or "sincere" in Russian. |
| Samoan | This word can mean either clean or to rub, the difference being the object that is being rubbed or cleaned. |
| Scots Gaelic | In Scots Gaelic, the word "glan" can also mean "pure" or "innocent". |
| Serbian | The Serbian word 'чист' meaning 'clean' is related to the Sanskrit word 'शुचि' (śuci) meaning 'pure'. |
| Sesotho | 'Hlwêkile' has the connotation of someone or something that is pure, free from dirt or taint. |
| Shona | Yakachena, in Shona, can refer to the ritual cleansing after the death of a loved one. |
| Sindhi | In Sindhi, صاف also means pure, neat, smooth, and plain. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The term derives from the Sanskrit root 'शुच' , meaning pure which also gave rise to the words ''शु' (su-)'' - meaning ''good-'' and '''शुक्ल' (''sukla '') - meaning ''white,'' which both signify ''pure.'' In this sense, ''Pi-risidu'' carries an association with ''pallor and whiteness as symbolic of purity''. |
| Slovak | The word 'čistý' in Slovak can also mean 'pure' or 'unadulterated'. |
| Slovenian | The word "čisto" also has the alternate meaning of "almost" or "nearly" in Slovenian. |
| Somali | In Somali, the word "nadiif ah" can also be used to describe someone who is well-mannered or behaves respectfully. |
| Spanish | The verb "limpiar" derives from the Latin "limpiare" meaning "to make clear or bright". |
| Sundanese | The word "beresih" in Sundanese has many meanings, including "clean", "tidy", "clear", "orderly", and "neat." |
| Swahili | The word "safi" in Swahili can also refer to purity, innocence, or clarity. |
| Swedish | "Rena" (clean) comes from the Old Norse word "hreinn," which also means "pure" or "unblemished." |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | In Tagalog, malinis (clean) and malinis (smooth) are two separate words with different etymologies. |
| Tajik | In Tajik, "тоза" is also referred to as "пухта", meaning "completely clean". |
| Telugu | The word శుభ్రంగా (clean) in Telugu is derived from the Sanskrit word शुभ्र (clean, white), which also means 'beautiful' or 'auspicious'. |
| Thai | The word ''สะอาด'' can also be used figuratively to describe something that is pure or uncorrupted. |
| Turkish | "Temiz" also means "pure" or "unadulterated" in Turkish. |
| Ukrainian | The word “чистий” derives from the Proto-Slavic word “čistъ”, meaning “clear” or “transparent”. |
| Urdu | صاف is also used to refer to a clear or pure substance, such as صاف پانی (clean water). |
| Uzbek | The word "toza" in Uzbek, meaning "cleanliness", is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "toza" with the same meaning. |
| Vietnamese | The word 'dọn dẹp' means 'clear', 'straighten up', 'tidy up'. |
| Welsh | Yn lân may also be used to mean holy, pure or innocent in various Welsh contexts |
| Xhosa | The word 'ucocekile' also means 'holy' in Xhosa. |
| Yiddish | The word "ריין" ("rain") in Yiddish can also refer to wine or a heavy downpour. |
| Yoruba | The Yoruba word "mimọ" also means "holy" and relates to purification, rituals, and the sacred sphere. |
| Zulu | The Zulu word "kuhlanzekile" can also refer to a person who is morally upright and free from blame. |
| English | The word 'clean' has roots in the Old English 'clæne' meaning 'pure' or 'unstained', as well as the Latin 'mundus' signifying 'clean or neat'. |