The kanji 臭 generally means "smell," "odor," or "stink." It refers to the sensory perception of an unpleasant or noticeable scent. It can also imply something that is offensive or undesirable due to its smell.

・On-yomi (音読み): シュウ (shū) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): くさ(い) (kusa(i)) - smelly, stinky

⚫︎ あの部屋は変な臭いがする。 Translation: That room smells strange. ⚫︎ 悪臭 (akushū) Translation: Stench; foul smell. ⚫︎ 臭覚 (shūkaku) Translation: Sense of smell; olfaction.

The kanji 臭 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound character. The character is composed of two parts: the radical 自 (from oneself) and the phonetic component 犬 (inu, dog). The radical 自 (ji) is used here semantically to show the source of something. 犬 (inu, dog) is the phonetic component, contributing to the sound. The combination suggests the scent emanating from something, like a dog.