青臭い
あおくさい
i-adjective
grassy-smelling; immature
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 青臭い | 青臭くない |
| Past | 青臭かった | 青臭くなかった |
| て form | 青臭くて | 青臭くなくて |
| Adverbial | 青臭く | — |
| Conditional ば | 青臭ければ | 青臭くなければ |
| Conditional たら | 青臭かったら | 青臭くなかったら |
1.
having a raw, grassy smell
Smelling of fresh grass, raw vegetables, or uncooked greens.
このスムージーは青臭くて飲みにくい。
This smoothie has a grassy smell and is hard to drink.
草を刈ったあと、青臭い匂いがする。
After mowing the grass, there's a fresh grassy smell.
トマトのへたの部分が青臭くて苦手だ。
I don't like the grassy smell of the stem part of tomatoes.
2.
immature, naive, inexperienced
Lacking experience or sophistication; having an unseasoned, idealistic quality typical of youth.
彼の考えはまだ青臭い。
His thinking is still immature.
青臭い理想論を語るのはやめてくれ。
Stop spouting naive idealism.
社会経験を積めば、あの青臭さもなくなるだろう。
Once they gain more experience in society, that naivete will probably go away.
青臭い is a compound i-adjective combining 青 (green, raw) + 臭い (smelling of).
FORMS:
- Adverbial: 青臭く
- Noun form: 青臭さ
USAGE PATTERN:
The figurative meaning (sense 2) is often used critically by older people about younger people's idealistic views. It suggests the person hasn't yet developed the seasoned perspective that comes with experience.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 青臭い vs. 若い: 青臭い emphasizes immaturity in thinking or approach; 若い is neutral (just young)
- 青臭い vs. 世間知らず: Both imply inexperience, but 青臭い focuses on idealism while 世間知らず means unaware of how society works