淨

Phono-semantic compound:

水 (수) – semantic element, indicating connection to water and the concept of washing/cleansing;

爭 (쟁) – phonetic element, providing the sound 정.

Over time, it expanded to mean clean, pure, and spiritually undefiled—a key concept in Buddhist vocabulary like 淨土 (Pure Land).

It is widely used in religious and literary contexts, especially in Buddhism, where it appears in words like:

極樂淨土 (극락정토) – the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss;

西方淨土 (서방정토) – the Western Pure Land (Amitabha’s paradise).

In Buddhism, 淨 symbolizes not only physical cleanliness but also spiritual purity.

Terms like 淨化 (정화) mean “to purify,” used in both religious and secular contexts.