Refers to a pleasant smell, often used in the pattern 〜の香. Not used for bad smells.
See also: 花の香
The fragrance of flowers is drifting through the room.
The fragrance of the tea spread through the room.
This tea has a rich aroma.
This incense has a rich fragrance.
I quietly enjoyed the fragrance of the tea.
臭い describes an unpleasant, bad smell, the opposite of 香, which refers only to a pleasant fragrance.
aroma; fragrance; scent; smell
smell sweet; be fragrant; give off a pleasant scent
loveliness; charm; allure; beauty · color and scent
lingering scent; residual fragrance
fermented sweetfish entrails and roe
Standard kanji spelling for this noun.
The kanji 香 represents fragrance or incense. The reading か is the on'yomi, commonly used in compounds and as a standalone noun for pleasant smells.
Japanese aster; false aster
lingering scent; transferred fragrance
fragrance of flowers
fragrant; sweet-smelling
aromatic rice; fragrant rice