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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "smell" in Chinese?
气味
qì wèi
In Chinese, "smell" is 气味 (qì wèi).
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Pronunciation
It's spoken "qì wèi" (fourth tone, then fourth tone), where snapping downward fast, like giving a short order. Give each syllable of qì wèi its own clear beat rather than rushing through.
Writing and usage
气味 is written using hanzi. It's a verb, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
我闻到新鲜面包的味道。
wǒ wén dào xīn xiān miàn bāo de wèi dào 。
I can smell fresh bread.
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How to remember 气味
Picture the scene from "I can smell fresh bread" — that image locks onto "qì wèi" for smell.
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 气味
How do you pronounce 气味?
It's spoken "qì wèi" (fourth tone, then fourth tone), where snapping downward fast, like giving a short order. Give each syllable of qì wèi its own clear beat rather than rushing through.
Is 气味 formal or casual?
气味 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 气味 used in Chinese?
气味 is used the same way as the equivalent English verb. For example: 我闻到新鲜面包的味道。 (I can smell fresh bread.).
Where can I practice Chinese words for free?
You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Smell" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
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