Chinese word

香

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiāng

Meaning

  • adjectivefragrant

Example

这朵花很香。zhè duǒ huā hěn xiāng

This flower is very fragrant.

Illustration for 香 (fragrant)

More examples

厨房里饭菜很香。chú fáng lǐ fàn cài hěn xiāng

The food in the kitchen smells very fragrant.

Core concept

A pleasing aroma rising from cooking, flowers, incense, or any other source.

Common phrases

  • 香的花xiāng de huā

    fragrant flowers

  • 闻起来很香wén qǐ lái hěn xiāng

    smell very fragrant

  • 很香hěn xiāng

    very fragrant

Similar words

好吃hǎo chī: Tasting good and giving pleasure when eaten.
好闻hǎo wén: Having a pleasant smell.
难闻nán wén: Having an unpleasant smell.

Definition in Chinese

味道或气味令人愉快，常指食物烹调后散发的香气，也可泛指一切好闻的气息。wèi dào huò qì wèi lìng rén yú kuài cháng zhǐ shí wù pēng tiáo hòu sàn fā de xiāng qì yě kě fàn zhǐ yí qiè hǎo wén de qì xī

Word origin

Traditional character analysis connects 香 (xiāng, "fragrant") with 黍 (shǔ, "millet") + 甘 (gān, "sweet"), an image of delicious-smelling grain that extends to pleasant scents in general.

Usage tips

  • In everyday food talk, 很香 (hěn xiāng, "very fragrant") is a natural way to praise the aroma, while English often uses a longer phrase such as "smells good."

Other meanings

  • fragrancenoun

Opposites

  • 难闻nán wénunpleasant-smellingadjective

Related words

Word lists with this word