臭い|くさいkusai[2]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. i-adjectivestinking; smelly
   「汗あせでびしょ濡ぬれだよ」「離はなれてっ。臭くさいわっ！」↗

   "I'm soaked with sweat." "Step back. You stink!"
2. i-adjectivesuspicious; fishy
   あいつが臭くさい。↗

   He looks suspicious.
3. i-adjectivehammy (acting); over-the-top; cheesy
4. i-adjectiveclumsy; unskilled
5. i-adjective(overly) gamey; strong-tasting
6. suffix, i-adjectivesmelling of
7. suffix, i-adjectivelooking like; appearing like; smacking of; -ish

• Related臭みくさみNeutralA noun, not an adjective like 「臭い」: the fishy or gamey smell of ingredients, or affectation in the way someone talks or behaves.
• Related香りかおりNeutralAntonym: a pleasant scent such as that of flowers or coffee, the reverse of a stink.
• Related匂いにおいNeutralThe neutral word for smell. Written 「臭い」 but read におい, it means a bad smell; read くさい, it is the adjective itself.
• Related臭味しゅうみNeutralA variant spelling of 「臭み」; figuratively it flags off-putting affectation in speech or writing, as in 「臭みのない文章」.
• Antonym香りかおりNeutralAntonym: a pleasant scent such as that of flowers or coffee, the reverse of a stink.
• Antonym芳香ほうこうWrittenAntonym: fragrance, mostly in written prose or product descriptions; the reverse of a stench.

Use 「臭い」 for a bad smell or something suspicious. For smell in general say 「匂い」, for a pleasant aroma 「香り」, for the fishy or gamey smell of ingredients 「臭み」, and in formal prose 「芳香」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. においが悪わるい。よろしくないにおいがする。
2. あやしい。何なんかたくらんでいそうだ。
3. 芝居しばいの演出えんしゅつや演技えんぎが不自然ふしぜんに大袈裟おおげさでわざとらしい。
4. …のようなにおいがする。
5. …みたいな感かんじだ。…らしい。
6. そのものに象徴しょうちょうされるような雰囲気ふんいきがある。
7. 特定とくていの語ごの意味いみを強調きょうちょうするときにつける。