How to say "clear-cut" in Japanese

• 明快めいかいCommon
  na-adjective, nounThe common word for the figurative sense: an answer, explanation, or position that is clear, lucid, and leaves no doubt. For abstract uses of 'clear-cut' this is the word you want.
• クリアカット
  na-adjectiveA direct loanword, and less common. For figurative uses — a clear-cut answer or distinction — it is seldom the word you want; 明快 covers those, while this one belongs to technical contexts such as forestry.
• 画然かくぜん
  taru-adjective, adverb (with と)Covers 'clear-cut' for sharply drawn distinctions and boundaries — the 'clear-cut' of 'a clear-cut distinction'. Less common; use it when the point is that two things are cleanly and distinctly separated.
• 直截的ちょくせつてき
  na-adjectiveCore sense 'straightforward, blunt': speech or writing that goes straight to the point. Its 'clear-cut' is a matter of manner — saying things directly and bluntly — not of something being clearly defined.

Use 明快 for the figurative sense of clear and unequivocal; 画然 for sharply drawn distinctions; 直截的 for direct, blunt statement; 「クリアカット」 is a loanword used mainly in technical contexts such as forestry.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 明快めいかいclear
• クリアカットclear-cut
• 画然かくぜんclear (distinction)
• 直截的ちょくせつてきstraightforward