芳しい
かんばしい
i-adjective
fragrant; favorable, satisfactory
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 芳しい | 芳しくない |
| Past | 芳しかった | 芳しくなかった |
| て form | 芳しくて | 芳しくなくて |
| Adverbial | 芳しく | — |
| Conditional ば | 芳しければ | 芳しくなければ |
| Conditional たら | 芳しかったら | 芳しくなかったら |
1.
fragrant, aromatic
Having a pleasant, rich aroma. A literary or elegant way to describe a good smell.
芳しい香りがする。
There is a fragrant aroma.
焼きたてのパンの芳しい匂いが漂う。
The fragrant smell of freshly baked bread wafts through the air.
コーヒーの芳しい香りに誘われて店に入った。
Drawn in by the rich aroma of coffee, I entered the shop.
2.
favorable, satisfactory, good
Describes results, conditions, or situations that are favorable. Most commonly used in the negative form to mean unsatisfactory.
成績は芳しくない。
The results are not satisfactory.
経営状態は芳しくない。
The business conditions are not favorable.
治療の経過が芳しくなく、入院が長引いている。
The treatment progress is not favorable, and the hospital stay has been extended.
Has two distinct uses: a literary sense for pleasant aromas, and a practical sense for favorable conditions. The second sense is overwhelmingly used in the negative (芳しくない).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 芳しい香り — a fragrant aroma
- 芳しい匂い — a pleasant smell
- 成績が芳しくない — results are unsatisfactory
- 経過が芳しくない — progress is unfavorable
- 評判が芳しくない — reputation is not good
USAGE:
Sense 1 is literary and somewhat formal. For everyday descriptions of smell, 良い匂い or 良い香り are more common. Sense 2 is almost exclusively used in the negative form 芳しくない, which is a polished, indirect way of saying something is going poorly.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 香りが良い — smells good (everyday expression)
- 好調 — favorable, going well (direct positive form)