匂い and 臭い: Two におい spellings and smell sources
Compare 匂い and 臭い read as におい through bread, flowers, fish, and old wood. Follow each smell’s source rather than imposing an absolute pleasant-versus-unpleasant spelling rule.
匂い from bread and flowers
「台所から焼きたてのパンの匂いがする。」 — “The kitchen smells of freshly baked bread.” 匂い is the smell noun read におい. 台所から identifies where the smell comes from, and 焼きたてのパンの names its source.
「庭の花から甘い匂いが漂ってきた。」 — “A sweet fragrance drifted from the garden flowers.” 庭の花から gives the source, and 甘い modifies the smell. Read the flowers and the drifting scent together rather than relying on the spelling alone.
臭い from fish and wood
「台所から焼いた魚の臭いがする。」 — “I smell grilled fish coming from the kitchen.” 臭い in this example is also the smell noun read におい. 焼いた魚の names the source; the spelling alone does not supply an unstated evaluation.
「箱を開けると古い木の臭いが漂った。」 — “When I opened the box, the scent of old wood filled the air.” 箱を開けると gives the scene in which the smell drifted out, and 古い木の identifies its source. This use of 臭い is read におい as well.
Reading, source, and evaluation
The two spellings here are smell nouns with the same におい reading. First identify the bread, flowers, fish, or wood as the source, alongside modifiers explicitly present, such as 甘い.
Do not turn the spelling distinction into an absolute pleasant-versus-unpleasant rule. A report that something has a smell does not also establish food freshness or conditions for eating it.
How is 臭い read in 「古い木の臭いが漂った」, and what does it name?
Show the answer and why
It is the smell noun read におい in this example, naming the smell of old wood. Read 古い木の as the source without assuming that the spelling always means an unpleasant odor.