臭い
くさい
i-adjective
smelly, stinky
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 臭い | 臭くない |
| Past | 臭かった | 臭くなかった |
| て form | 臭くて | 臭くなくて |
| Adverbial | 臭く | — |
| Conditional ば | 臭ければ | 臭くなければ |
| Conditional たら | 臭かったら | 臭くなかったら |
1.
smelly, stinky, bad-smelling
Having an unpleasant odor.
2.
suspicious, fishy
In figurative usage, means something seems suspicious or questionable.
His explanation sounds like a lie. I don't think he's telling the truth.
嘘臭い = seems like a lie
臭い is an i-adjective meaning "smelly" or figuratively "suspicious."
Forms
- Negative: 臭くない
- Past: 臭かった
- Te-form: 臭くて
COMPOUNDS (〜くさい):
Attaches to nouns to mean "smelling of" or "seems like":
- 汗臭い: smelling of sweat
- タバコ臭い: smelling of cigarettes
- 嘘臭い: seems like a lie
- 犯人臭い: suspicious (like the culprit)
The suffix always carries a negative judgment, even when the base noun is neutral — 面倒くさい (too much bother) and 古臭い (tiresomely old-fashioned) are the most common everyday examples.
Register
- Saying 臭い about a 人 to their face is blunt and rude; it is normal only between family or close friends. In polite company people describe the smell rather than the person.
- Sense 2 ("fishy") is casual speech. In a report or formal discussion, use あやしい instead.