くさい

くさい

Japanese

Alternative spelling
臭い

Etymology

From Old Japanese. First attested in the Nihon Shoki of 720 CE.[1]

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) くさ​い [kùsáꜜì] (Nakadaka – [2])
• IPA^(key): [kɯ̟̊ᵝsa̠i]

• Tokyo pitch accent of inflected forms of "臭い"

Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Continuative (連用形)	臭く	く​さく くさ​く	[kúꜜsàkù] [kùsáꜜkù]
Terminal (終止形)	臭い	くさ​い	[kùsáꜜì]
Attributive (連体形)	臭い	くさ​い	[kùsáꜜì]
Key constructions
Informal negative	臭くない	く​さくない くさ​くない	[kúꜜsàkùnàì] [kùsáꜜkùnàì]
Informal past	臭かった	く​さかった くさ​かった	[kúꜜsàkàttà] [kùsáꜜkàttà]
Informal negative past	臭くなかった	く​さくなかった くさ​くなかった	[kúꜜsàkùnàkàttà] [kùsáꜜkùnàkàttà]
Formal	臭いです	くさ​いです	[kùsáꜜìdèsù]
Conjunctive	臭くて	く​さくて くさ​くて	[kúꜜsàkùtè] [kùsáꜜkùtè]
Conditional	臭ければ	く​さければ くさ​ければ	[kúꜜsàkèrèbà] [kùsáꜜkèrèbà]

Adjective

くさい • (kusai) -i (adverbial くさく (kusaku))

1. stinking, smelly, pungent; giving off a bad smell
2. suspicious, fishy; arousing suspicion

Synonyms

• (suspicious): 胡(う)散(さん)臭(くさ)い (usankusai)

See also

• 腐(くさ)る (kusaru)

Suffix

くさい • (-kusai) 

1. smells like; reeks of

   鉄(てつ)臭(くさ)い

   tetsu-kusai

   metallic, like blood

2. (negatively) very much like; conceptually similar to

   ジジ臭(くさ)い

   jiji-kusai

   like an old man

   昭(しょう)和(わ)臭(くさ)い

   Shōwa-kusai

   like the Shōwa era

3. (with a quasi-adjective stem) an intensifier

   面(めん)倒(どう)臭(くさ)い

   mendō-kusai

   a hassle

Usage notes

Forms an adjective.

References

1. “臭”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎ (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000, →ISBN