Japanese

Adjective

臭い ‎(-i inflection, hiragana くさい, romaji kusai)

1. stinking, smelly, pungent; giving off a bad smell
2. suspicious, fishy; arousing suspicion

Synonyms

• (suspicious): 胡散臭 (うさんくさ)い ‎(usankusai)

See also

• 腐 (くさ)る ‎(kusaru)

Noun

臭い ‎(hiragana におい, romaji nioi, historical hiragana にほひ)

1. odor, scent, smell, whiff, stench
2. aura
3. sense
4. flavor
5. smacks of

Usage notes

• More often written as 匂い.

Suffix

臭い ‎(hiragana くさい, romaji -kusai)

1. smells like; reeks of
2. (negatively) very much like; conceptually similar to

   ジジ臭 (くさ)い

   jiji-kusai

   like an old man

3. (with a quasi-adjective stem) an intensifier

   面倒 (めんどう)臭 (くさ)い

   mendō-kusai

   a hassle

Usage notes

Forms an adjective.