干净 (gān jìng) is an adjective meaning 'clean' or 'neat'—describing something free from dirt, dust, stains, or clutter. Literally, 干 means 'dry' and 净 means 'pure' or 'clear'; together, they emphasize a state of thorough cleanliness and orderliness. It’s commonly used to describe physical spaces (e.g., rooms, clothes, dishes), personal hygiene (e.g., hands, face), and even abstract concepts like 'clean speech' or 'a clean record' in formal contexts.

The word is neutral in register and widely used in daily life—by children and adults alike—in both spoken and written Chinese. It often appears after the verb 是 (shì) or with degree adverbs like 很 (hěn), 真 (zhēn), or 太 (tài). Unlike some English adjectives, 干净 is rarely used attributively before a noun without a modifier (e.g., you’d say ‘很干净的房间’ rather than just ‘干净房间’ in formal writing), though colloquially it may appear bare in short phrases like ‘衣服干净吗？’