臭い and 匂い…

Both are pronounced におい.

But the kanji is different, so, the meaning is also a little different.

 

[Unnatural sentence]

 

この花はいい臭いがします。

-このはなはいいにおいがします。

-This flower smells good.

 

Can you find a mistake?

 

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[Sensei’s correction]

 

この花はいい臭いがします。

→この花はいい匂(にお)いがします。

→この花はいい香(かお)りがします。

 

いい臭い→ ◎いい匂い/香り

 

臭い means “bad smell” “smelly”.

匂い means “smell” . It doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad.

But here it means “good smell,” so 匂い should be used.

 

You can also use 香り in this sentence.

香り means “good smell” “fragrance”

Flowers generally smell good.

 

They can be used in this way.

ゴミ(garbage)の臭い

トイレ(toilet)の臭い

カレー(curry)の匂い

シャンプー(shampoo)の香り

 

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