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水臭い (みずくさい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 100,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
i-adjective
stand-offish ; distant ; reserved
Describes someone who is overly formal or not open with close friends or family, as if treating them like strangers. Often used in negative or admonishing contexts.
たい
度ど
を
取と
る
の
は
やめ
なさい
。
Stop being so reserved even with your own family.
2
i-adjective
watery ; weak (drink)
Used for drinks like alcohol or coffee that taste too diluted or lack strength.
Written forms 水みず 臭くさ い Usage 53%
Standard kanji spelling; the kanji 水 (water) and 臭い (smelly) combine idiomatically.
水みず くさい Usage 47%
Common kana-mixed spelling, especially in casual writing.
Kanji 臭 stinking, ill-smelling, suspicious looking Similar words よそよそしい よそよそしい also means distant or unfriendly, but focuses more on cold, unfriendly behavior, while 水臭い implies a lack of openness despite a close relationship.
Etymology From 水 (water) + 臭い (smelly, -ish), literally 'water-smelling'. The figurative sense of being distant likely comes from the idea of something being diluted or lacking warmth, like watered-down soup.
