Kanji 俗 vulgar, customs, manners 臭 stinking, ill-smelling, suspicious looking 紛 distract, be mistaken for, go astray Related words 俗ぞく っぽい A more common, colloquial adjective meaning 'vulgar' or 'worldly'. 俗臭芬々 is a much stronger, literary yojijukugo emphasizing an offensive lack of refinement.
下げ 品ひん A standard noun/adjective meaning 'vulgar' or 'crude'. 俗臭芬々 is more emphatic and literary, often describing an atmosphere or overall impression rather than a single action.
Written forms 俗ぞく 臭しゅう 芬ふん 々ぷん
Standard kanji form for this yojijukugo.
俗ぞく 臭しゅう 芬ふん 芬ぷん
Variant with 芬 repeated instead of the iteration mark 々 .
俗ぞく 臭しゅう 紛ふん 々ぷん
Variant using 紛 instead of 芬 ; less common and may be considered a misspelling.
俗ぞく 臭しゅう 紛ふん 紛ぷん
Variant with 紛 repeated; see note for 俗臭紛々 .
Etymology A yojijukugo composed of 俗 (vulgar, worldly), 臭 (smell, stench), and 芬々 (strong-smelling, pervasive). The literal meaning is 'the stench of vulgarity is strong', used figuratively for coarseness. The exact origin is uncertain, but it follows a common pattern of four-character idioms describing undesirable traits.
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