scent

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 匂 refers to smell or scent; 匂う is read におう.
• Basic usage: It describes scents perceived through the nose, such as bread, flowers, or earth after rain.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Noun and verb
  • 匂い is the noun for a smell, while 匂う is a verb describing something giving off a scent. The endings い and う distinguish the forms.
• Expressing a smell
  • パンの匂いがする means that there is a smell of bread. Here する describes a perceived sensation, not deliberately producing a smell.