Japanese symbol for “smell”
匂い
におい
Romaji: nioi
smell; scent; odour; odor
In Japanese, smell is 匂い, read におい (nioi).
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
- n smell; scent; odour; odor; stench
- n aura; whiff; smack; flavour; flavor; mood
- n faint, mist-like pattern along the temper line of a Japanese sword
Written forms: 匂い、臭い、香い、匂. Readings: におい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “smell”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 香り | かおり kaori | aroma; fragrance; scent |
| 香 | か ka | smell (esp. a good smell); fragrance; scent |
| 聞く | きく kiku | to smell (esp. incense); to sample (a fragrance) |
| 嗅ぐ | かぐ kagu | to sniff; to smell |
| 匂う | におう niou | to be fragrant; to smell (good) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 匂う | におう niou | to be fragrant; to smell (good) |
| 匂わす | におわす niowasu | to give off (a smell, scent, aroma); to smell of; to perfume (a room, etc.) |
| 匂い菖蒲 | においしょうぶ nioishoubu | fragrant iris; sweet flag; orris |
| 匂い袋 | においぶくろ nioibukuro | scent bag; sachet |
| 匂い油 | においあぶら nioiabura | perfumed hair oil |
See also: Chinese symbol for “smell”.
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.