臭 (chòu) - Smell, odor & stinky, foul-smelling

臭Tone 4

chòu ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

橙丁

臭 · chòu

Smell, odor;

stinky, foul-smelling;

also used to mean 'to smell' or 'to sniff'.

Smell, odorstinky, foul-smellingalso used to mean 'to smell' or 'to

Usage highlights

StinkyBad smellStinky tofuBody odorBad breathFoul air

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 香— fragrant, pleasant-smelling

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The garbage smells bad (垃圾很臭).
  • He has bad breath (他有口臭).
  • This cheese has a strong odor (这奶酪气味很臭).
  • The dog sniffed the ground (狗臭了臭地面).

Collocations

  • Stinky(臭的)
  • Bad smell(臭味)
  • Stinky tofu(臭豆腐)
  • Body odor(体臭)
  • Bad breath(口臭)
  • Foul air(臭气)

Idioms

  • Both honored and disgraced (荣辱与共) - sometimes extended as 荣辱与共，臭气相投
  • Birds of a feather flock together(臭味相投)
  • Leave a bad name for generations(遗臭万年)
  • As incompatible as ice and charcoal (冰炭不相容) - sometimes extended with 冰炭不同器，臭味不相投

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally meant 'to smell' in general, but evolved to primarily mean 'bad smell' in modern usage.
  • In classical Chinese, could be used in neutral sense for 'odor' or 'fragrance' depending on context.
  • Stinky tofu (臭豆腐) is a popular Chinese snack despite its strong odor.

FAQ