Translation guide
Describes a smell that remains in a place or on something after the source is gone. Japanese has several nuanced words depending on whether the smell is pleasant or unpleasant, and whether it clings to objects or hangs in the air.
To describe a bad smell that remains in a room, on clothes, or on furniture.
Literally 'remaining smell'. Commonly used for unpleasant lingering odours like cigarette smoke or cooking smells.
部屋にタバコの残り香がこもっている。
The room is filled with the lingering smell of cigarettes.
A phrase meaning 'the smell remains'. More general and can be used for any lingering odour.
カレーの臭いが部屋に残っている。
The smell of curry is lingering in the room.
A smell that has soaked into something and won't go away, like smoke in curtains.
カーテンに染みついたタバコの臭いが取れない。
I can't get rid of the cigarette smell that's soaked into the curtains.
To describe a pleasant fragrance that remains after the source is gone.
Can also be used for pleasant lingering scents, especially in literary or poetic contexts.
彼女が去った後も、部屋には花の残り香が漂っていた。
Even after she left, the lingering scent of flowers hung in the room.
A more elegant term for a lingering fragrance, often used for incense or perfume.
お香の余香が心を落ち着かせる。
The lingering fragrance of incense calms the mind.
A straightforward phrase for a pleasant scent that remains.
手に石鹸の香りが残っている。
The scent of soap is lingering on my hands.
To describe any smell that hangs in the air, without specifying pleasant or unpleasant.
Means 'a smell hangs/floats in the air'. Neutral and commonly used.
台所からいい臭いが漂ってくる。
A nice smell is wafting from the kitchen.
Means 'the smell is trapped/stagnant', often used for stuffy or unpleasant lingering odours indoors.
換気しないと臭いがこもる。
If you don't ventilate, the smell will linger.
残り香 is the general term for any lingering smell, but often implies something unpleasant like smoke or food. 余香 is specifically for pleasant, often refined scents like incense or perfume. In casual speech, people often just say 臭いが残る or 香りが残る.
タバコの残り香が嫌だ。
I hate the lingering smell of cigarettes.
茶室には抹茶の余香が漂っていた。
The lingering fragrance of matcha hung in the tea room.
The English phrase 'lingering odour' can sound formal or literary. In everyday Japanese, it's more natural to use phrases like 臭いが残っている (the smell remains) or 臭いが取れない (the smell won't go away) rather than a single noun.
台所にニンニクの臭いが残っている。
There's a lingering odour of garlic in the kitchen.
彼女の香水の残り香が、彼にデートを思い出させた。
The lingering odour of her perfume reminded him of their date.