臭

An associative compound consisting of:

自 — nose (original pictograph of a nose);

犬 — dog.

The image suggests “a dog using its nose to smell.”

Dogs are known for their strong sense of smell, so the character visually conveys the idea of detecting odor.

Thus, 臭 originally meant “to smell” or “odor.”

Semantic development:

- to smell (neutral sense);

- odor;

- bad smell;

- figuratively: moral corruption (e.g., 铜臭 “stench of money”).

Over time, the meaning shifted from neutral “odor” to predominantly negative “stink” in many contexts.

In Korean, 臭 generally carries a negative nuance unless contextually neutral.

취기 (臭氣) — bad smell; odor

악취 (惡臭) — foul smell

취미 (臭味) — similar taste or disposition (literary usage)

Related characters:

嗅 — to sniff (more precise verb form)

自 — nose (originally pictographic)

犬 — dog

臰 (U+81F0) — variant (通字)