匂い（におい、nioi）
- smell

The Japanese word 匂い (*nioi*) primarily means "smell" or "odor." It refers to the scent that is perceived through the sense of smell. It can be a pleasant or unpleasant smell. The word encompasses the general concept of what is sensed by the nose.

⚫︎この花はいい匂いがしますね。 Translation: This flower has a nice smell. ⚫︎変な匂いがする。何？ Translation: There's a strange smell. What is it? ⚫︎食べ物が焦げた匂いがする。 Translation: There's a smell of burnt food.

匂い is used in various contexts to describe the scents around us. It's applicable for both natural and artificial smells. You can use it to talk about the smell of food, flowers, perfumes, or even unpleasant odors. It is a common, everyday word. When describing something with a smell, the particle が (*ga*) often follows the smell, for instance, いい匂いがする (*ii nioi ga suru* - "smells good").

匂い is usually written in kanji as 匂い, but it can also be written in hiragana as におい. The kanji 匂 refers to "smell" or "scent." There are no significant variations in the okurigana; the hiragana suffix "い" (*i*) is always used.

⚫︎香り (*kaori*) - fragrance, scent (usually pleasant) ⚫︎臭い (*kusai*) - bad smell, stink (can be impolite and is the root word for something being smelly, and a conjugated form of this word.) ⚫︎臭気 (*shūki*) - stench, odor (more formal) ⚫︎芳香 (*hōkō*) - fragrance (formal)

There isn't a direct antonym for 匂い, as it is a noun. Instead, antonyms would relate to the absence of smell. The lack of smell could be expressed using phrases like 無臭 (*mushū* - odorless) or saying "doesn't have a smell."

焼きたてのパンのいい匂いが部屋中に広がった。 ・Translation: The nice smell of freshly baked bread spread throughout the room. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 匂い to describe the pleasant smell of freshly baked bread.

このゴミ箱はひどい匂いがするから、早く捨てましょう。 ・Translation: This trash can smells terrible, let's throw it away quickly. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 匂い to describe an unpleasant smell coming from the trash can.

The etymology of 匂い is not definitively known, but it is believed to have originated from the verb 匂う (*niou*), which means "to smell" or "to have a scent." The word evolved to become a noun describing the smell itself.