When you want to express that something emits a smell, you should use 匂う (におう). This verb is intransitive, meaning it doesn't take a direct object. So, you wouldn't say "I smell the flower" with 匂う, but rather "The flower smells good."
It's important to differentiate this from "to smell (something)" which implies a conscious action of perceiving a smell. For that, you'd use a different verb like 嗅ぐ (かぐ).
Think of 匂う as describing the inherent smell of something, whether good or bad. For example, your cooking 匂います (smells) delicious, or perhaps the garbage 匂います (smells) bad.
When you encounter 匂う (におう), it means something is emitting a smell. It's an intransitive verb, so it describes the state of the thing itself, rather than an action performed on something else.
Think of it like saying "it smells" in English, rather than "I smell it." It can be used for both pleasant and unpleasant odors. For example, a flower 匂う (におう) beautifully, and garbage 匂う (におう) badly.
It's distinct from 聞く (きく) which can also mean "to smell" but implies actively smelling something, similar to "to sniff." So, 匂う (におう) is about the smell coming from an object, not a person's act of smelling.
§ What "匂う" means
Let's talk about the Japanese verb 匂う (におう). This word is useful for talking about smells. It's a common verb, so you'll hear it a lot in daily conversation.
- DEFINITION
- To smell (intransitive, to emit a smell).
The key thing to remember with 匂う is that it's an intransitive verb. This means the smell comes from the subject. The subject is doing the smelling. It's not about someone actively smelling something else. Think of it as 'giving off a smell' or 'having a smell'.
This is different from saying "I smell something" (as in, I detect a smell with my nose). We'll cover that later. For now, focus on 匂う meaning 'to emit a smell'.
§ When to use "匂う"
You use 匂う when you want to describe that something has a smell. It can be a good smell or a bad smell. The verb itself is neutral. You'll add adjectives or adverbs to specify the type of smell.
この花はとてもいい匂いますね。
This means: "This flower smells very nice." Here, the flower is the subject, and it's emitting a nice smell. Notice the "いい" (ii - good) before 匂います to indicate a pleasant smell.
ゴミ箱が少し匂っている。
This translates to: "The trash can is smelling a little." In this case, it's implying a bad smell because trash cans usually don't smell good. We often don't need to explicitly say "bad" if the context makes it clear.
You'll find 匂う used in various situations:
- Describing natural scents: Flowers, food, rain, the ocean.
- Identifying unpleasant odors: Trash, sweat, smoke, old clothes.
- Figurative language: Sometimes, it's used metaphorically, like "smelling" trouble or suspicion.
この料理はいい匂いがするね。
This example is slightly different. "匂いがする" (nioi ga suru) also means 'to smell' or 'to emit a smell'. 匂い (nioi) is the noun 'smell', and する (suru) means 'to do'. So, literally, 'a smell does'. It's a common and natural way to express that something has a smell. Both 匂う and 匂いがする are valid and often interchangeable in many contexts when talking about something emitting a smell.
何か焦げた匂いがする。
"I smell something burning." or "There's a burning smell." Again, the smell is emitting from something (even if we don't know what it is yet). This highlights the intransitive nature.
§ Practice points
To get comfortable with 匂う, try forming sentences about things around you. Does your coffee 匂う good? Does the rain outside 匂う fresh? Keep in mind that 匂う is the source of the smell.
§ Understanding 匂う (niou)
The Japanese verb 匂う (niou) is used to describe something that emits a smell, whether good or bad. It's an intransitive verb, meaning it doesn't take a direct object. Think of it as 'to smell' in the sense of 'giving off a scent.' This is a very common and versatile word you'll encounter often.
§ Examples of 匂う (niou) in use
Let's look at some examples to see how 匂う is used in sentences.
この花はとても匂いますね。
Hint: This flower smells really nice, doesn't it?
何か焦げた匂いがする。
Hint: I smell something burning. (Literally: A smell of something burnt is emitting.)
変な匂いがするから、窓を開けましょう。
Hint: It smells strange, so let's open the window.
§ 匂う (niou) vs. other words for smell
Japanese has several words related to smell, and it's important to understand the nuances to use them correctly. While 匂う (niou) is about something emitting a smell, other verbs focus on *perceiving* a smell.
嗅ぐ (kagu): This is the transitive verb for 'to smell' or 'to sniff.' You use this when you actively *perform* the action of smelling something with your nose.
コーヒーの匂いを嗅ぐ。
Hint: To smell the coffee.
犬が地面を嗅いでいる。
Hint: The dog is sniffing the ground.
香る (kaoru): This verb specifically means 'to smell sweet' or 'to be fragrant.' It's generally used for pleasant, good smells.
バラの花が香る。
Hint: The rose flower smells fragrant.
§ When to use 匂う (niou)
Use 匂う (niou) when you want to express that something *has* a smell or *gives off* a smell, regardless of whether that smell is good or bad. It's the most neutral and widely applicable verb for simply stating that a smell exists from an object or location. It's an automatic emission of scent.
When describing the smell of food, flowers, or even something unpleasant like garbage.
When you're not actively trying to smell something, but you notice a smell in the air.
To describe an atmosphere or feeling that 'smells' of something (figurative usage, though less common for beginners).
Mastering the difference between these verbs will greatly improve your ability to describe scents in Japanese. Start by getting comfortable with 匂う (niou) as your go-to for general smell emission, and then add 嗅ぐ (kagu) for active smelling and 香る (kaoru) for fragrant smells to your vocabulary.
Difficulty Rating
Common kanji, relatively simple structure.
Common kanji, relatively simple structure.
Common in daily conversation.
Common in daily conversation.
What to Learn Next
Prerequisites
Learn Next
Advanced
Examples by Level
いい匂いがするね。
Something smells good, doesn't it?
「匂いがする」 is a common way to say 'to smell' or 'to have a smell'.
これは何の匂い？
What is this smell?
「何の匂い」 directly translates to 'what kind of smell?'
ちょっと変な匂いがするよ。
It smells a little strange.
「変な」 means 'strange' or 'odd'.
この花、とてもいい匂いがしますね。
This flower smells very nice, doesn't it?
Using 「ますね」 adds politeness and invites agreement.
料理の匂いがしてきた。
The smell of cooking is coming.
「〜がしてきた」 can mean '...has started to come' or '...has started to appear'.
部屋がコーヒーの匂いでいっぱいだ。
The room is full of the smell of coffee.
「〜でいっぱいだ」 means 'full of ~'.
焼きたてのパンの匂いが好きです。
I like the smell of freshly baked bread.
「焼きたての」 means 'freshly baked'.
雨の後に土の匂いがする。
After the rain, you can smell the earth.
「〜の後に」 means 'after ~'.
花の匂いが部屋中に匂っている。
The scent of flowers is perfuming the entire room.
何か焦げたような匂いがする。料理が燃えているのかもしれない。
There's a smell of something burning. The food might be burning.
この香水はとても甘い匂いがするが、私には少し強すぎる。
This perfume has a very sweet smell, but it's a bit too strong for me.
雨上がりの土の匂いは、いつも私を落ち着かせる。
The smell of the earth after rain always calms me.
古い本からは、独特の紙とインクの匂いがする。
Old books have a unique smell of paper and ink.
焼きたてのパンの匂いは、どんな人も幸せな気分にさせる。
The smell of freshly baked bread makes everyone feel happy.
隣の家からカレーの匂いが匂ってきたので、私もカレーが食べたくなった。
The smell of curry wafted from the house next door, making me want to eat curry too.
この部屋は少しカビ臭い匂いがする。換気した方がいいだろう。
This room smells a bit musty. It would be better to air it out.
Often Confused With
While 匂う (nio-u) is the general verb for 'to smell,' 臭う can be read as 'nio-u' meaning to smell (often with a negative nuance of stinking), or as the adjective 'kusai' meaning 'stinky.' Pay attention to context.
This is a general verb for 'to feel' or 'to sense.' While you can 'feel' a smell, 匂う is specifically about the smell itself being emitted. 感じる is broader.
Though primarily meaning 'to hear' or 'to ask,' 聞く can also be used in formal contexts to mean 'to smell/sniff' incense or other pleasant aromas. This usage is less common for everyday smells compared to 嗅ぐ.
Grammar Patterns
Easily Confused
Often confused with 匂い (nioi), but 臭い can carry a negative connotation, meaning 'stinky' or 'foul-smelling.'
While 匂い is a neutral word for 'smell,' 臭い can imply an unpleasant odor. It can also be an adjective meaning 'stinky.'
この牛乳、ちょっと臭い。 (Kono gyuunyuu, chotto kusai.) - This milk smells a bit off (stinky).
Both relate to smelling, but 香る specifically refers to a pleasant fragrance.
匂う is general for emitting any smell, while 香る is specifically for emitting a good smell, like a flower or perfume.
部屋に花の香りがする。 (Heya ni hana no kaori ga suru.) - A flower's scent fills the room.
匂う describes something emitting a smell, while 嗅ぐ describes the action of a person actively smelling something.
匂う is intransitive (the object smells), 嗅ぐ is transitive (someone smells something).
犬が地面を嗅いでいる。 (Inu ga jimen o kaide iru.) - The dog is sniffing the ground.
It's the noun form related to 匂う, but learners might mix up when to use the verb vs. the noun.
匂う is the verb 'to smell' (emit a smell), 匂い is the noun 'a smell/scent.'
この花の匂いはいいですね。 (Kono hana no nioi wa ii desu ne.) - This flower's scent is nice, isn't it?
While not directly about smell, 気配 can sometimes be used when you sense something subtle, including an faint scent, leading to confusion with general 'smelling' or 'sensing a presence'.
匂う is about a physical smell. 気配 is about sensing a presence or a subtle sign, which can occasionally be related to a faint smell but isn't its primary meaning.
誰かの気配がする。 (Dareka no kehain ga suru.) - I sense someone's presence.
Sentence Patterns
〜が匂います (shibaraku ga nioimasu)
花がいい匂いしますね。(Hana ga ii nioi shimasu ne.) — The flowers smell nice, don't they?
〜の匂いがする (〜 no nioi ga suru)
台所からカレーの匂いがする。(Daidokoro kara karē no nioi ga suru.) — I smell curry from the kitchen.
何となく〜匂いがする (nantonaku 〜 nioi ga suru)
この部屋、何となく変な匂いがする。(Kono heya, nantonaku hen na nioi ga suru.) — This room somehow has a strange smell.
〜臭い (〜 kusai)
この牛乳、ちょっと酸っぱい匂いがする、もしかして腐ってる？(Kono gyūnyū, chotto suppai nioi ga suru, moshi ka shite kusatteru?) — This milk smells a bit sour, maybe it's gone bad?
〜がプンプン匂う (〜 ga punpun niou)
彼のシャツ、タバコの匂いがプンプン匂う。(Kare no shatsu, tabako no nioi ga punpun niou.) — His shirt strongly smells of tobacco.
Word Family
Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
How to Use It
匂う (におう) is an intransitive verb meaning 'to smell' or 'to give off a smell.' It describes the emanation of a scent from something. It can be used for both pleasant and unpleasant smells. For example, 「いい匂いがする」 (Ii nioi ga suru) means 'It smells good' or 'There's a good smell.' Similarly, 「変な匂いがする」 (Hen na nioi ga suru) means 'It smells strange' or 'There's a strange smell.'
A common mistake is confusing 匂う (におう) with 嗅ぐ (かぐ). While both relate to smell, they have different meanings and usages. 嗅ぐ (かぐ) is a transitive verb meaning 'to smell' or 'to sniff' something intentionally. For instance, you would say 「花の匂いを嗅ぐ」 (Hana no nioi o kagu) to mean 'to smell the scent of a flower.' 匂う describes the object itself emitting a smell, whereas 嗅ぐ describes the action of a person perceiving a smell. Think of it this way: the flower 匂う (smells), and you 嗅ぐ (smell/sniff) the flower.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Imagine a 'Knee-Oh' (匂う) statue that gives off a strong scent, perhaps of old stone or incense. When you 'Knee-Oh' down to smell it, you realize it 'emits a smell'.
Visual Association
Picture a cartoon cloud of scent (匂い) wafting away from an object, representing that the object itself is 'smelling' or 'emitting a smell'. Think of a pie cooling on a windowsill, and the smell drifting out.
Word Web
Challenge
Describe five different things around you right now using 匂う. For example: 「このコーヒーはいい匂いがします。」(This coffee smells good.)
Test Yourself 24 questions
This sentence means 'This flower smells nice.' The typical word order in Japanese is Subject-Object-Verb, and '匂いがする' is a common way to say 'to smell' or 'to emit a smell.'
This sentence means 'The smell of curry fills the room.' '匂いがする' can be broken down, and here '匂い' (smell) is the subject, with '充満している' meaning 'is filling' or 'is permeating.'
This sentence means 'I smell the good smell of baking bread.' '焼ける' means 'to be baked' or 'to burn,' and here it modifies '匂い' to describe the kind of smell.
Choose the correct particle for the sentence: 「この花はとてもいい___匂う。」
When describing what emits a smell, the particle が (ga) is typically used with 匂う (niou).
Which sentence correctly uses 「匂う」?
匂う (niou) is an intransitive verb, meaning it expresses an action without a direct object. 'この部屋はタバコの匂いが匂う' (kono heya wa tabako no nioi ga niou) means 'This room smells of tobacco.' The other options use 匂う incorrectly as a transitive verb.
What is the most natural way to say 'The air smells sweet' in Japanese?
甘く匂う (amaku niou) means 'to smell sweet.' The adverbial form 甘く (amaku) correctly modifies the verb 匂う (niou).
「この料理は美味しそうに匂う。」(Kono ryouri wa oishisou ni niou.) means 'This dish smells delicious.'
美味しそうに匂う (oishisou ni niou) correctly conveys 'smells delicious,' with そうに (sou ni) indicating 'seems/looks like' when modifying a verb.
「匂う」can be used to express that something smells bad, for example, 「ごみが匂う。」(Gomi ga niou.)
While 匂う (niou) can describe any smell, it is often used when a smell is unpleasant or noticeable, such as in 「ごみが匂う」 (gomi ga niou), meaning 'The trash smells.'
「彼はバラの香りを匂った。」(Kare wa bara no kaori o niotta.) is a grammatically correct sentence.
匂う (niou) is an intransitive verb, meaning it cannot take a direct object with the particle を (o). To say 'He smelled the scent of roses,' you would typically use a different verb like 嗅ぐ (kagu).
Choose the most natural sentence using "匂う".
While 匂う can mean 'to emit a smell', in everyday Japanese, when describing a pleasant smell emanating from something, '〜がいい匂いがします' is the most common and natural expression.
Which sentence correctly uses "匂う" to imply suspicion?
匂う can metaphorically mean 'to have a suspicious aura' or 'to smell fishy'. In this context, '〜ような匂いがする' (to have a smell like...) is the correct idiomatic usage.
Select the sentence where "匂う" is used to describe something being strongly evident or hinted at.
匂う can be used metaphorically to express that something (like talent or an atmosphere) is subtly or strongly discernible, like 'talent radiates from his painting'.
「この料理は焦げた匂いがする」is a natural way to say 'This dish smells burnt'.
「〜の匂いがする」is the standard and natural way to express that something emits a certain smell, including burnt smells.
「事件の匂いがする」means that a crime has definitely occurred.
「事件の匂いがする」means 'there's a whiff of an incident' or 'something suspicious is going on that suggests an incident', not that a crime has definitely occurred. It implies suspicion or a hint.
「成功の匂いがする」implies that success is imminent or very likely.
「成功の匂いがする」is a metaphorical expression meaning 'there's a scent of success' or 'success is in the air', indicating that success seems very probable or is being hinted at.
この花はとても甘く___。
「匂う」は、自然に香りがすること、または不快なにおいがすることを表す動詞です。文脈から甘い香りがすることがわかるため、この動詞が適切です。
部屋全体に美味しそうなカレーが___。
「匂う」は、ある匂いが広がっている状態を表すのに使われます。カレーの良い匂いが部屋に広がっている状況に合致します。
何かが焦げ付く___がする。
「匂う」は、良い匂いだけでなく、不快な匂いにも使われます。焦げ付く匂いは不快な匂いであるため、「匂い」が適切です。
彼の言動は、どうも裏があるように___。
「匂う」は、物理的な匂いだけでなく、ある雰囲気が感じられる、怪しいと感じる、といった抽象的な意味でも使われます。彼の言動に裏があるように感じられる状況に当てはまります。
この花は、夜になると特に強く___。
花が香りを放つことを表す場合、「匂う」が自然です。特に夜に香りが強くなるという文脈に合っています。
何年も掃除していない冷蔵庫は、ひどく___。
「匂う」は、不快な臭いがする場合にも使われます。掃除されていない冷蔵庫から不快な臭いがすることは自然です。
/ 24 correct
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～上
B1Above; on top of; up.
〜の上
A2On top of, above, upon.
豊か
B1Abundant; rich; plentiful (na-adjective).
〜に従って
B1According to, in conformity with, as (something happens).
酸性雨
B1Acid rain.
営み
B1Activity; daily life; undertaking (e.g., life's activities).
順応する
B1To adapt; to adjust; to conform.
~を背景に
B1Against the backdrop of; with...as background.
空気
A2air
大気汚染
B1Air pollution; the presence of harmful substances in the air.
