smell · sniff

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 嗅 means smelling or sniffing; its on-reading is きゅう, and the verb 嗅ぐ is read かぐ.
• Basic usage: 嗅覚, read きゅうかく, means the sense of smell, the sense that detects odors.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Sniffing and the sensitivity of a sense
  • 匂いを嗅いだ means that someone smelled or sniffed an odor. The past form of 嗅ぐ is 嗅いだ, with final ぐ changing to いだ.
  • 鋭い嗅覚 means a keen sense of smell. Distinguish the act of smelling a particular odor from the sensitivity of the sense that detects it.