香料|こうりょうkouryou[3]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. nounflavoring; flavouring; spices
2. nounfragrance; perfume; incense
3. nouncondolence gift

• Related香りかおりNeutralRefers to the scent or aroma itself and is the most general word; 「香料」 is the substance that produces the scent.
• Related香水こうすいNeutralPerfume, a cosmetic made from 「香料」; 「香料」 is the raw material that goes into it.
• Related芳香ほうこうWrittenWritten/formal prose term for a pleasant scent, as in 「芳香剤」; it focuses on the smell, while 「香料」 is a substance.
• Related香気こうきWrittenWritten/formal prose term for fragrance, used only rarely; it points to the scent itself, whereas 「香料」 is the material.
• RelatedエッセンスNeutralLoanword for an essence or extract, as in 「バニラエッセンス」; a neutral word for concentrated flavorings.
• RelatedパフュームNeutralLoanword for perfume, often seen in brand names; in everyday speech 「香水」 is the usual word.
• Related薫香くんこうWrittenWritten/formal prose term for incense and its aroma; it centers on burning incense, while 「香料」 has wider uses.
• Related馨香けいこうWrittenWritten/formal prose term for fragrance, also used figuratively for a good name or fame; very rarely seen.
• RelatedフレグランスNeutralLoanword for fragrance products in general, used mostly in product names.
• Related異香いきょうWrittenWritten/formal prose term for an extraordinary fragrance, found mainly in Buddhist legends.

Use 「香り」 for a scent itself; 「香料」 is the substance that adds scent, as in 「合成香料」, and can also mean condolence money (「香典」) at a Buddhist service. Perfume is 「香水」. 「パフューム」 and 「フレグランス」 are loanwords for scent products, 「エッセンス」 for extracts like 「バニラエッセンス」. 「芳香」「香気」「薫香」「馨香」「異香」 are written/formal words for the scent itself.

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

1. 香かおりをつけるために用もちいるもの。
2. 仏式ぶっしきの弔事ちょうじにおいて死者ししゃに供そなえる金銭きんせん。香典こうでん。