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道Nihongo Path
嗅

嗅·smell (verb)

On-yomi
キュウ
Kun-yomi
か(ぐ)

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

13 strokes, numbered in writing order. Data: KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
嗅ぐかぐto sniff, to smell something
嗅覚きゅうかくsense of smell
嗅ぎ分けるかぎわけるto tell apart by smell
嗅ぎ回るかぎまわるto nose around, to snoop

Example sentences

  1. 犬が地面の匂いを嗅いでいる。

    いぬがじめんのにおいをかいでいる。

    The dog is sniffing the ground.

  2. 猫は人間より嗅覚が鋭い。

    ねこはにんげんよりきゅうかくがするどい。

    Cats have a keener sense of smell than humans.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 嗅覚 as しゅうかく — it is きゅうかく
  • The te-form is 嗅いで, not 嗅ぎて

Memory aid

Picture it

臭 (a smell) with 口 added: bringing your own mouth and nose up to it to sniff.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 嗅 mean?