How do you say "smell" in Russian?

понюхать

ponjuhat'

Verb Cyrillic

In Russian, "smell" is понюхать (ponjuhat').

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Pronunciation

The word rolls off as "ponjuhat'", with a light stress toward the end, though the actual Russian sound is a touch softer than the English letters suggest.

Writing and usage

понюхать is written using cyrillic. It's a verb, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.

Example sentence

Я чувствую запах свежего хлеба.

Ja chuvstvuju zapah svezhego hleba.

I can smell fresh bread.

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How to remember понюхать

Connect "ponjuhat'" with a piggy bank being shaken: how the word tumbles out quickly gives your memory a shortcut.

Related words

Browse all Russian words in the glossary.

Questions about понюхать

How do you pronounce понюхать?

The word rolls off as "ponjuhat'", with a light stress toward the end, though the actual Russian sound is a touch softer than the English letters suggest.

Is понюхать formal or casual?

понюхать is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is понюхать used in Russian?

понюхать is used the same way as the equivalent English verb. For example: Я чувствую запах свежего хлеба. (I can smell fresh bread.).

Where can I practice Russian words for free?

You can play free Russian minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Russian glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Smell" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Russian language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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