Japanese symbol for “sniff”
嗅ぐ
かぐ
Romaji: kagu
to sniff; to smell
In Japanese, sniff is 嗅ぐ, read かぐ (kagu).
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
- v5g, vt to sniff; to smell
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “sniff”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| スニフ | スニフ sunifu | Sniff (Moomin) |
| 啜る | すする susuru | to sniffle; to sniff |
| 鼻を鳴らす | はなをならす hanaonarasu | to snort; to sniff |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 嗅覚 | きゅうかく kyuukaku | sense of smell; olfaction |
| 嗅球 | きゅうきゅう kyuukyuu | olfactory bulb; bulbus olfactorius |
| 嗅ぎ出す | かぎだす kagidasu | to scent out; to detect |
| 嗅神経 | きゅうしんけい kyuushinkei | olfactory nerve |
| 嗅ぎ回る | かぎまわる kagimawaru | to sniff around |
See also: Chinese symbol for “sniff”.
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.