How to say 'Smell' in Japanese | 臭う

Wondering how to say 'Smell' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Smell is 'Niou', written as 臭う in Japanese.'Smell' in hiragana is におう.

word

臭う

Meaning

Smell

Reading

におう

niou

Kanji

臭Stinking, Bad smell

Explanation

The Japanese verb '臭う (におう)' means 'to smell'. This verb is used to describe the act of perceiving an odor, whether pleasant or unpleasant. It can be used in various contexts, such as describing the smell of food, flowers, or something unpleasant like garbage. For example: The flowers smell good「花がいいにおいがする」(はながいいにおいがする). This room smells bad「この部屋は臭う」(このへやはにおう). It's important to note that '臭う' often carries a connotation of an unpleasant smell, whereas '匂う (におう)' can be used for pleasant smells. However, '臭う' can also be used neutrally depending on the context.

Part Of Speech

verb

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

7307

Composition

kanji-hiragana

Handwriting

This word is a godan verb. To learn how it transforms in different tenses and forms, explore all its conjugations.

Kanji in the Word 臭う

This word contains 1 kanji character:

kanji

臭

Meaning

Stinking, Bad smell

Hiragana in the Word 臭う

This word contains 1 Hiragana character :

hiragana

う

Reading

Words Related to 臭う Through the Kanji 臭

These 3 Words contain the Kanji 臭 as well.

word

臭い

Meaning

Smelly

word

生臭い

Meaning

Fishy, Bloody

word

面倒臭い

Meaning

Troublesome

Learn the Word 臭う

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What does 'Niou' (臭う) mean?

'Niou' means 'Smell' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.