How do you say "smell" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "smell" is 匂いがする (nioi ga suru). It is a verb pronounced "nee-oh-ee gah soo-roo".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Pronunciation

匂いがする is written in kanji and hiragana. Romanised as nioi ga suru, it sounds roughly like "nee-oh-ee gah soo-roo" to an English ear.

Example sentence

彼女は公園で匂いがします。

Kanojo wa kouen de nioi ga shimasu.

She to smell (something)s in the park.

Usage notes

匂いがする means to smell (something) in Japanese. This is an everyday verb that learners encounter early. Mastering its masu form (匂いがします) and te-form opens up many sentence patterns.

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Questions about 匂いがする

How do you pronounce 匂いがする?

匂いがする is romanised as nioi ga suru. Say it roughly like "nee-oh-ee gah soo-roo" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 匂いがする formal or casual?

匂いがする is the plain (dictionary) form, used in casual speech and in dictionaries. For polite situations, verbs take a different ending, typically -masu. In Noun Town the game always shows the dictionary form.

How is 匂いがする written in Japanese?

匂いがする is written using kanji and hiragana. Kanji characters carry the core meaning; any hiragana or katakana that follow show grammatical endings.

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation.