臭
chòu
HSK 5
#2,101 most
frequent character
stench, stink, smelly, to smell (bad)
adjective
verb
Character breakdown
Source: Make Me a Hanzi.
臭 chòu puts 自, a nose, with 犬, a dog. A dog's keen nose gives the first meaning, 'keen, sensitive nose'. From there it grew to 'stench, odor' and 'to smell bad'. Read xiù, it means 'smell, scent'.
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Example Sentences
这条鱼很臭，我们不要吃了。
zhè tiáo yú hěn chòu ， wǒmen búyào chīle 。
This fish is very smelly, we shouldn't eat it.
他的鞋子闻起来很臭。
tāde xiézǐ wénqǐlái hěn chòu 。
His shoes smell very bad.
花园里有一种臭味，可能是垃圾。
huāyuán lǐ yǒu yīzhǒng chòuwèi ， kěnéngshì lājī 。
There is a stench in the garden, it might be garbage.
Same Characters, Different Readings
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