芳かんばしい

か

ん

ば

し

い

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

i-adjective

fragrant; sweet-smelling; aromatic

Describes a pleasant, often sweet or refined scent. Somewhat literary; in everyday speech いい匂い is more common.

庭にわに芳かんばしい花はなの香かおりが漂ただよっている。
A fragrant floral scent is drifting through the garden.

2

i-adjective

favorable; good (reputation, results)

Almost always used in the negative form 芳しくない to mean 'not good', 'unfavorable', or 'poor'. Used for results, reputation, condition, etc.

Written forms

芳かんばしいUsage79%
Standard kanji spelling for both literal fragrance and figurative favorable meanings.
かんばしいUsage21%
香かんばしい
Rare variant emphasizing literal sweet smell; 芳しい is overwhelmingly more common.
馨かんばしい
Very rare variant for literal fragrance; not practical for learners.

Kanji

芳perfume, balmy, favorable
香incense, smell, perfume
馨fragrant, balmy, favourable

Similar words

いい匂におい
Everyday expression for a good smell; 芳しい is more literary and often implies a refined, sweet fragrance.
香こうばしい
Describes a toasty, nutty, or roasted aroma (e.g., coffee, sesame); 芳しい is for sweet, floral, or elegant scents.

Etymology

Derived from classical Japanese かんばし (kanbashi), with the adjective ending しい. The kanji 芳 carries the meaning 'fragrant' or 'good reputation', and the word has retained both literal and figurative senses.