坊ぼう主ずくさい

ぼ

う

ず

く

さ

い

Meanings

1

i-adjective

sanctimonious; overly pious; priestly; monkish

Describes a person or attitude that is excessively pious, preachy, or holier-than-thou, often with a negative connotation. Literally 'smelling of a monk'.

彼かれの説せっ教きょうじみた話はなし方かたは、なんだか坊ぼう主ずくさい。
His preachy way of talking feels somehow sanctimonious.
あの政

せい

治じ

家か

の

坊ぼう

主ず

くさい

態たい

度ど

に

は

うんざり

だ

。

I'm fed up with that politician's holier-than-thou attitude.

Written forms

坊ぼう主ずくさい
Standard kanji-kana spelling.
坊ぼう主ず臭くさい
Alternate spelling using the kanji 臭い for 'smelling of', reinforcing the literal 'smells of a monk' nuance.

Kanji

坊boy, priest's residence, priest
主lord, chief, master
臭stinking, ill-smelling, suspicious looking

Similar words

坊ぼう主ず
坊主 means 'Buddhist monk' or 'shaven head'. 坊主くさい adds the suffix くさい ('smelling of') to express a negative, overly pious quality.
くさい
The suffix くさい attaches to nouns to mean 'smelling of' or 'reeking of', often used figuratively to criticize an excess of a quality.

Etymology

Compound of 坊主 (ぼうず, 'Buddhist monk') + くさい ('smelling of'). The figurative meaning 'sanctimonious' derives from the idea of reeking of monkish piety.