English–Japanese
“smell good” in Japanese
Japanese
Pronunciation
Romajiniou
Example
庭の花が甘く匂います。niwa no hana ga ama ku nio i ma su
The flowers in the garden smell sweet.
How to say “smell good” in Japanese
“Smell good” in Japanese is 匂う (niou). 匂う can also mean “smell sweet”.
Centers on a source giving off a sweet scent that is sensed through the nose.
Example sentences with 匂う
庭の花が匂います。niwa no hana ga nio i ma su
The flowers in the garden smell good.
この香水は、時間がたつと甘く匂います。ko no kō sui wa ji kan ga ta tsu to ama ku nio i ma su
This perfume smells sweet after a while.
Tips for using 匂う
- With the same pronunciation, 臭う (niō) usually suggests an unpleasant odor, while 匂う (niō) suggests a pleasant one, so the kanji changes the nuance.