Japanese symbol for “putrid”
カビ臭い
かびくさい
Romaji: kabikusai
smelling of mold; musty; putrid
In Japanese, putrid is カビ臭い, read かびくさい (kabikusai).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- adj-i smelling of mold; musty; putrid
- adj-i old-fashioned; stale; hackneyed; worn-out
Written forms: カビ臭い、かび臭い、黴臭い. Readings: かびくさい、カビくさい.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 臭い | くさい kusai | stinking; smelly |
| 悪臭 | あくしゅう akushuu | bad smell; foul smell; offensive odor |
| 古臭い | ふるくさい furukusai | stale; old fashioned; hackneyed |
| 生臭い | なまぐさい namagusai | smelling of fish; fishy; smelling of blood |
| 臭気 | しゅうき shuuki | bad smell; stink |
| 口臭 | こうしゅう koushuu | bad breath; halitosis |
See also: Chinese symbol for “putrid”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.