Dictionary🇯🇵 Japanese → 🇺🇸 English
Japanese to English Dictionary
匂う
niou
Description
「匂う」は、鼻で感じる香りや臭いがあるという意味の動詞です。
"匂う" is a verb meaning to have a scent or smell detected by the nose.
いい香りにも悪い臭いにも使えますが、いい香りには「香る」を使うことも多いです。
It can be used for both pleasant and bad smells, but "香る" is often used for pleasant scents.
Meanings
匂うniou
to smell, to give off a scent or odor
この花はとてもいい匂いで、部屋中が匂う。
This flower smells very nice and fills the room with fragrance.
匂うniou
to hint at, to seem apparent (figurative)
彼の態度から、何かかくしていることが匂う。
From his attitude, it smells like he's hiding something.
Related words
Notes
- Nuance
匂う covers both pleasant and unpleasant smells; 臭う (same reading) stresses a bad or suspicious smell.
- Etymology
verb form of the noun 匂い (nioi, scent).
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