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Words Kanji Guides About

香り (かおり) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

香かおり

か

お

り

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

noun

aroma; fragrance; scent; smell

A general word for a smell, often pleasant but can be neutral. Used for natural scents, food, flowers, and sometimes abstract atmospheres.

この花はなはいい香かおりがする。
This flower has a nice fragrance.
コーヒーの香かおり

で

目め

が

覚さ

め

た

。

I woke up to the aroma of coffee.

Written forms

香かおりUsage94%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common and recommended form.
かおりUsage3%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the intended kanji nuance is not important.
香かおりUsage2%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kanji form; not a standard standalone spelling for this reading.
薫かおりUsage1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; may appear in literary or stylistic contexts.
薫かおりUsage<1%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kanji form; not a standard standalone spelling for this reading.
馨かおり
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; may appear in literary or stylistic contexts.

Kanji

香incense, smell, perfume
薫send forth fragrance, fragrant, be scented
馨fragrant, balmy, favourable

Similar words

匂におい
匂い is a more general word for smell, often neutral or slightly negative, while 香り tends to imply a pleasant or refined scent.
臭くさい
臭い is an adjective meaning 'stinky' or 'smelly', used for unpleasant odors, unlike the noun 香り.

Etymology

Derived from the verb 香る (かおる, 'to smell sweet'). The kanji 香 carries the meaning of fragrance or incense.