臰 (chòu) - Stench & foul smell

臰Tone 4

chòu ｜ 12 strokes ｜ radical:

橙丁

臰 · chòu

Stench;

foul smell;

putrid odor.

Stenchfoul smellputrid odor.

Usage highlights

foul stenchputrid smellstagnant foul waterrotten stenchfoul air

Synonyms

  • 臭— stinky; foul smell
  • 恶臭— stench; foul odor

Antonyms

  • 香— fragrant; aromatic

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The garbage emitted a foul stench (臰气).
  • The rotten food had a putrid smell (臰味).
  • The stagnant water gave off a bad odor (臰水).

Collocations

  • foul stench(臰气)
  • putrid smell(臰味)
  • stagnant foul water(臰水)
  • rotten stench(腐臰)
  • foul air(臰氛)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 臰 is a variant form of 臭, which originally meant 'smell' in general but now primarily means 'stinky' or 'foul odor'.
  • In classical texts, 臭 could refer to both fragrant and foul smells, but 臰 specifically denotes unpleasant odors.
  • The character is rarely used in modern Chinese, having been largely replaced by 臭.

FAQ