Translation guide
The English verb 'sniff' covers several distinct actions: inhaling audibly through the nose (often to smell something or when crying), expressing disdain, and detecting something suspicious. Japanese uses different verbs and onomatopoeia for each nuance.
The physical action of drawing air into the nose with a sound, typically to perceive a scent.
The most common verb for sniffing to smell something. Used for both intentional and casual sniffing.
犬が地面を嗅いでいる。
The dog is sniffing the ground.
花の香りを嗅いでみた。
I sniffed the scent of the flower.
Explicitly says 'sniff the smell', often used when the object of sniffing is a smell rather than a physical object.
変な匂いを嗅いだ気がする。
I think I sniffed a strange smell.
Onomatopoeic verb mimicking the sound of sniffing, often used for animals or cute, repeated sniffing. Casual.
猫が箱をクンクンしている。
The cat is sniffing the box.
The involuntary, repeated sniffing sound made when the nose is runny, often from crying or illness.
The standard phrase for sniffing back mucus. Used for both crying and colds.
彼女は泣きながら鼻をすすった。
She sniffled while crying.
風邪で鼻をすする音がうるさい。
The sound of him sniffling from a cold is annoying.
Onomatopoeic expression for sniffling repeatedly, often with a runny nose. More vivid and colloquial.
花粉症で鼻をぐすぐすさせている。
I'm sniffling because of hay fever.
To make a sniffing sound as a gesture of scorn or disapproval.
Literally 'laugh with the nose', meaning to scoff or sneer. Conveys contempt through a nasal sound.
彼は私の提案を鼻で笑った。
He sniffed at my suggestion.
To make a 'hmph' sound with the nose, indicating disdain. The onomatopoeia 'ふん' mimics the sniff of contempt.
彼女はふんと鼻を鳴らして部屋を出た。
She sniffed contemptuously and left the room.
To sense or suspect something intuitively, as if by smell. Often used figuratively.
Literally 'sniff out', used for both literal scent detection and figuratively discovering secrets or information.
記者がスキャンダルを嗅ぎつけた。
The reporter sniffed out a scandal.
To 'sense a smell' figuratively, meaning to suspect something is off. Often used with '何か' (something).
彼の話に何か臭いを感じた。
I sniffed something fishy in his story.
To inhale a substance, often illicit, through the nose.
General verb for inhaling or smoking. Context clarifies it's through the nose if specified.
彼はコカインを鼻から吸った。
He sniffed cocaine through his nose.
Formal/technical term for inhalation or suction. Used in medical or legal contexts.
シンナーを吸引する若者が問題だ。
Young people sniffing paint thinner is a problem.
嗅ぐ (kagu) can take a direct object (the thing being smelled), while 匂いを嗅ぐ (nioi o kagu) explicitly makes 'smell' the object. Both are natural, but 嗅ぐ is more direct and common for physical objects.
English 'sniff at' (to disdain) cannot be directly translated as ～に嗅ぐ. Use 鼻で笑う or ふんと鼻を鳴らす instead.