Translation guide
Describes a very unpleasant, strong, or offensive odor. Japanese has several common words and phrases to express this, ranging from general terms to more specific or emphatic ones.
To describe a bad or unpleasant smell in general.
The most direct and common word for 'foul smell' or 'stench'. Used in both spoken and written Japanese.
A foul smell is lingering in the room.
An adjective meaning 'smelly' or 'stinky'. Very common in casual speech. Can be used as a standalone exclamation.
This milk smells bad.
Literally 'unpleasant smell'. A softer, more subjective way to say something smells bad.
There's some kind of foul smell.
Means 'strange odor' or 'unusual smell'. Often used in news reports or formal contexts when the source is unknown.
A strange odor occurred at the station, and several people reported feeling ill.
To emphasize a very strong, penetrating, or nauseating foul smell.
Means 'intense foul smell'. A common way to emphasize the strength of the odor.
There's an intense foul smell coming from the garbage area.
Literally 'a smell that pierces the nose'. Describes a sharp, pungent odor that hits you immediately.
I woke up to a pungent smell.
Means 'a smell that makes you feel nauseous'. Used for extremely foul odors.
Specifically for the smell of something rotting, like food or organic matter.
Means 'putrid smell' or 'smell of decay'. Used for rotting organic material.
There's a rotten smell coming from the fridge.
Describes a raw, fishy, or bloody smell. Often used for seafood or meat that is starting to go bad.
A verb meaning 'to go bad and smell sour/rotten', typically for food. Not commonly used in daily conversation.
For foul smells that are acrid, like burning rubber, chemicals, or smoke.
臭い (におい) is a neutral word for 'smell', but when used alone or with negative adjectives, it implies a bad smell. 香り (かおり) is used for pleasant smells, like flowers or perfume. To explicitly say 'foul smell', use 悪臭 or 嫌な臭い.
You can attach 臭い to nouns to mean 'smelling of ~'. For example, カビ臭い (かびくさい) means 'smelling moldy', and 汗臭い (あせくさい) means 'smelling of sweat'. This is very productive in casual speech.
A nauseating stench wafted from the sewer.
This fish smells raw and off, so we can't eat it anymore.
A sour, rotten smell fills the kitchen.
工場から刺激臭が漏れている。
An irritating chemical smell is leaking from the factory.