xiù

to smell

to sniff; to nose

mouth (口) + smell (臭) = to sniff

臭 originally combined 自 (nose) and 犬 (dog), evoking a dog's keen sense of smell — so this character layers 'mouth/snout' onto that already smell-laden base. Together they zero in on the active, deliberate act of sniffing.

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MouthSemantic
SmellSemantic

狗用鼻子了嗅地上的东西。

gǒu yòng bí zi xiù le xiù dì shang de dōng xi。

The dog sniffed at the thing on the ground with its nose.

她走进厨房,到一股奇怪的气味。

tā zǒu jìn chú fáng,xiù dào yī gǔ qí guài de qì wèi。

She walked into the kitchen and smelled a strange odor.

Words with 嗅

嗅探

xiù tàn

to sniff (in order to find sth)

嗅探犬

xiù tàn quǎn

sniffer dog

嗅球

xiù qiú

olfactory bulb (anatomy)

嗅觉

xiù jué

sense of smell

嗅盐

xiù yán

smelling salts

More characters with 口