臭

chòu, xiù

犬 + 自

HSK 2.0Level 5

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

chòu (adjective,verb) smelly; to smell bad

chòu (adjective) foul; repulsive; terrible

xiù (noun) sense of smell

Etymology ideographic

The smell 自 of a dirty dog 犬

About

臭 is a compound character formed from 自 (nose) placed over 犬 (dog). This structure originally depicted a dog using its nose to track scents, hence the general meaning of smell or odor. Over time, the everyday meaning shifted from a neutral scent to a foul odor (pronounced chòu). In literary or formal contexts, however, the character retains its original neutral sense of smell or the act of smelling (pronounced xiù).

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

厕所里很臭。

Cèsuǒ lǐ hěn chòu.

The toilet is very smelly.

臭豆腐闻起来臭。

Chòu dòufu wén qǐlái chòu.

Stinky tofu smells stinky.

冰箱里的食物变臭了。

Bīngxiāng lǐ de shíwù biàn chòu le.

The food in the fridge has become smelly.

他脱下的袜子非常臭。

Tā tuō xià de wàzi fēicháng chòu.

The socks he took off are very smelly.

夏天垃圾场散发出臭味。

Xiàtiān lājīchǎng sànfā chū chòu wèi.

In summer, the garbage dump emits a foul smell.

臭水沟的味道让人恶心。

Chòu shuǐgōu de wèidào ràng rén ěxīn.

The smell of the sewer is nauseating.

长时间不洗的鞋子会有臭气。

Cháng shíjiān bù xǐ de xiézi huì yǒu chòu qì.

Shoes that aren't washed for a long time will have a stench.

由于排水系统故障，整栋楼都弥漫着臭气。

Yóuyú páishuǐ xìtǒng gùzhàng, zhěng dòng lóu dōu mímàn zhe chòu qì.

Due to a drainage system failure, the entire building is filled with a foul smell.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 犬

Component: 自

臭