Kaori is the Japanese word for ‘fragrance’, ‘scent’, or ‘smell’, explained

What does “kaori” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “kaori” to mean ‘fragrance’, ‘scent’, or ‘smell’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word with its kanji expressions. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “kaori” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “kaori”
  • Example #1: how to say “fragrance” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “kaori”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “kaori”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “kaori”.

• kaori – 香り/薫り (かおり) : a noun meaning ‘fragrance’, ‘scent’, or ‘smell’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

This noun has two different kanji expressions. The first one is much more common, so native speakers normally use it to refer to a pleasant smell in Japanese.

The definition and meanings are not difficult, I think. The meanings seem to have the same concept. Then, let me explain how to use this noun through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “fragrance” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “kousui” to say “this perfume” in Japanese.
• kousui – 香水 (こうすい) : a noun meaning ‘perfume’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join “kousui” and “kaori”. The formed phrase literally means ‘the fragrance of a perfume’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is similar to that of the English preposition, “of”.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after the noun phrase, “kono kousui no kaori”, to make the object in the sentence.
• suki – 好き (すき) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’ in Japanese. In the example, actually, this is used to mean ‘to love’.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. In the example, this is used after “suki” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “kaori”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “kono kousui no kaori”, which means ‘the fragrance of this perfume’ in Japanese. When we want to refer to a pleasant smell in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.

Example #2: another usage of “kaori”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make its possessive case, “kanojo no”, which means ‘her’ in Japanese.
• namae – 名前 (なまえ) : a noun meaning ‘name’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.

This is another typical usage of “kaori”. As the example shows, it can work as a name. To tell the truth, it is one of the common female names in Japan. So, the usage in this example is not uncommon.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “kaori” with its kanji expressions. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• kaori – 香り/薫り (かおり) : a noun meaning ‘fragrance’, ‘scent’, or ‘smell’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. This has two different kanji expressions. The first one is much more common, so native speakers normally use it to refer to a pleasant smell in Japanese. It’s also worth mentioning here that “Kaori” is one of the common female names in Japan.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.