臭 — “Stinking / Ill-smelling / Suspicious Looking / Odor” in Japanese

Master (高手)しゅう, くさ, -くさ, にお

Radical ⾃ · radical 132 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Stinking / Ill-smelling / Suspicious Looking / Odor” in Japanese is 臭, read shuu, kusa, nio (しゅう, くさ, -くさ, にお). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 臭気 (stench).

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What does 臭 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	臭
Meaning	Stinking / Ill-smelling / Suspicious Looking / Odor
Readings	しゅう, くさ, -くさ, にお
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	臭気 (stench)

How to read 臭

臭 is read shuu (しゅう) or kusa (くさ) or kusa (-くさ) or nio (にお) depending on the word.

Words with 臭

臭気

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Kanji read the same way as 臭

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28