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Kotomora

嗅

smell, sniff, scent

StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 5,000Strokes13

Readings

On'yomi

  • キュウ

Kun'yomi

  • か.ぐ

Meaning

嗅 centers on the act of perceiving odor: smelling, sniffing, or detecting a scent.

Most common words using 嗅

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Etymology

嗅 combines 口 (mouth) with 臭 (smell, odor), suggesting the act of smelling or sniffing. 臭 itself is composed of 自 (nose) and 犬 (dog), originally referring to a dog's keen sense of smell.

Meaning mnemonic

A mouth 口 beside a nose 自 and a dog 犬: imagine a dog sniffing with its nose and mouth, detecting every scent.

Reading mnemonic

For キュウ, picture a curious dog sniffing a cue ball: cue -> キュウ, and the dog smells it intently.