齅 (xiù) - To smell & to sniff

齅Tone 4

xiù ｜ 24 strokes ｜ radical:

信嫣

齅 · xiù

To smell;

to sniff;

to scent;

archaic form equivalent to 嗅.

To smellto sniffto scent

Usage highlights

To sniff outTo smell a flowerAnimal sniffingKeen sense of smellSniff the air

Synonyms

  • 嗅— to smell; to sniff (modern equivalent)
  • 闻— to smell; to hear

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The dog sniffs the ground (狗齅地).
  • He smelled the flower (他齅花).
  • This character is an archaic form of 嗅 (齅 is the archaic form).

Collocations

  • To sniff out(齅出)
  • To smell a flower(齅花)
  • Animal sniffing(动物齅)
  • Keen sense of smell(善齅)
  • Sniff the air(齅空气)

Idioms

  • None commonly used with this archaic character

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 齅 is an ancient character for smelling/sniffing, largely replaced by 嗅 in modern usage.
  • The character contains 鼻 (nose) as a semantic component, clearly indicating its meaning.
  • It appears in classical texts but is extremely rare in contemporary writing.

FAQ