hei3 mei6氣味气味

Jyutpinghei3 mei6

Yalehei meih

名詞Common

Definition

Smell; odor; scent detected by the nose.

neutralbodydescriptions

How it's used

While 氣味 is a standard term for smell or odour, it is often perceived as slightly formal or descriptive in daily speech. In casual conversation, people frequently prefer using 味道 or simply describing the smell with adjectives like 香 or 臭. When referring to a specific instance of a smell, it is almost always paired with the measure words 陣 or 股.

Measure word

zan6陣janh

Examples

nei1呢dou6度jau5有zan6陣hou2好naan4難man4聞ge3嘅hei3氣mei6味，hai6係mai6咪waai6壞zo2咗aa4呀？

There is a really bad smell here, has something gone bad?

nei5你man4聞m4唔man4聞dou2到go2嗰zan6陣hou2好hoeng1香ge3嘅hei3氣mei6味？

Can you smell that fragrant scent?

Common phrases

naan4難man4聞ge3嘅hei3氣mei6味

unpleasant smell

cyun4傳lai4嚟hei3氣mei6味

a smell is coming from

Common mistake

Learners often confuse 氣味 with 味道. While 味道 can refer to both smell and taste, 氣味 is strictly limited to smell. Using 味道 is generally safer and more natural in most everyday situations.