How to say “smelly” in Japanese | 臭い (くさい、kusai)

The Japanese vocabulary「臭い (くさい、kusai)」means “smelly.” Please learn the pronunciation and the example sentences.

Japanese Vocabulary and the Meaning

Key Word臭い
Hiraganaくさい
Romaji Readingkusai
English Meaningsmelly
(Dictionary & Plain Form)

There are two types of reading of「臭い」. One is「くさい」and the other is「におい」. The meanings are different. The word「臭い (におい)」is explained here.

The Correct Japanese Pronunciations

Please learn the pronunciation by watching the attached video. You can also learn example sentences.

Our main YouTube channel: Ichiyo’s Japanese YouTube Channel
Our sub-YouTube Channel (Japanese vocabulary videos): Ichiyo’s Subchannel

The Example Japanese Sentences

It is important to have skills in both non-honorific and honorific languages in order to use Japanese correctly.

Japanese Sentenceいつのにかまくらくさくなっている。
Romaji ReadingItsunomanika makura ga kusaku natte iru.
English MeaningBefore I knew it, the pillow got smelly and is still smelly.
(Plain Form)

If you don’t know the reason why we used “and is still smelly” in the English translation, please learn about it in our private lessons or mail support.
Private lesson and Mail support: Ichiyo’s Japanese Online Lesson

Japanese Sentenceいつの間にか枕が臭くなっています。
Romaji ReadingItsunomanika makura ga kusaku natte imasu.
English MeaningBefore I knew it, the pillow got smelly and is still smelly.
(Polite Form)
Japanese Sentenceあしくさいので、さきにお風呂ふろはいる。
Romaji ReadingAshi ga kusai node, saki ni ofuro ni hairu.
English MeaningMy feet stink, so I’ll take a bath first. (Plain Form)
Japanese Sentence足が臭いので、先にお風呂に入ります。
Romaji ReadingAshi ga kusai node, saki ni ofuro ni hairimasu.
English MeaningMy feet stink, so I’ll take a bath first. (Polite Form)
Japanese Sentenceこのタオルは洗濯せんたくしたのにくさい。
Romaji ReadingKono taoru wa sentaku shita noni kusai.
English MeaningThis towel stinks even though I washed it. (Plain Form)
Japanese Sentenceこのタオルは洗濯したのに臭いです。
Romaji ReadingKono taoru wa sentaku shita noni kusai desu.
English MeaningThis towel stinks even though I washed it. (Polite Form)
Japanese private online lesson
To Have Correct Japanese Language Skills

We teach Japanese to non-native Japanese learners. Judging from our experience, 90% of Japanese learners use incorrect Japanese and often speak rudely, even though they have lived in Japan for many years.

Therefore, we created two services. One is our “private Japanese conversation lesson” and the other is the “Daily Japanese Mail Support” service.

In the “private Japanese conversation lesson,” you can talk with a native Japanese teacher. Let us practice conversation together!

private Japanese conversation lesson

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Daily Japanese Mail Support

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The details are on our website: https://ichiwebsite.com/

Adjectives