生臭い・腥い|なまぐさいnamagusai[4]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Which spelling to use
生臭い生臭い is the most common kanji-and-kana form and the recommended choice for beginners. Use it when you need this word.
腥い腥い is a rarely used kanji-and-kana form. You may encounter it, but beginners should use 生臭い instead.
Definitions
- i-adjectivesmelling of fish; fishy; smelling of blood; bloody
- i-adjectivedegenerate (of a monk); depraved; corrupt; fallen
- i-adjectiveworldly; mundane; secular; common; ordinary
- i-adjectivefishy; suspicious; questionable
Conjugation
| Plain form | 生臭い（なまぐさい） |
|---|---|
| Polite (desu) | 生臭いです（なまぐさいです） |
| Negative (kunai) | 生臭くない（なまぐさくない） |
| polite (ku arimasen) | 生臭くありません（なまぐさくありません） |
| Past (katta) | 生臭かった（なまぐさかった） |
| Past negative (kunakatta) | 生臭くなかった（なまぐさくなかった） |
| Te form (kute) | 生臭くて（なまぐさくて） |
| Adverbial (ku) | 生臭く（なまぐさく） |
| Conditional (kereba) | 生臭ければ（なまぐさければ） |
| kattara | 生臭かったら（なまぐさかったら） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Related胡散臭いうさんくさいNeutralShady and untrustworthy, of unclear origins; the focus is on suspicion. 「生臭い」 is about fishy or bloody smells, or the worldly taint of money and desire.
- Relatedきな臭いきなくさいNeutralLiterally a burnt smell; figuratively a situation with the smell of gunpowder or something suspicious, the emphasis being on tension and unease.
- Antonym清いきよいNeutralClean and pure, free of any taint — the direct opposite of the fishy, worldly 「生臭い」.
Use 「生臭い」 for fishy or bloody smells and, figuratively, worldly matters tainted by money and desire, as in 「魚が生臭い」「生臭い話」. Use 「胡散臭い」 for something suspicious or untrustworthy, 「きな臭い」 for a tense, gunpowder-tinged situation, and 「清い」 for purity.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
