bwiin
/pˠijinʲ/
The Marshallese word for "stinky" is bwiin.
bwiin is an adjective used to describe something that has a strong, unpleasant smell.
Meaning: having a strong, unpleasant smell (adj)
How do you pronounce it?
/pˠijinʲ/
Did you know?
- Because Marshallese is an Austronesian language, the word bwiin shares distant ancestral roots with languages spoken as far away as Madagascar and Hawaii.
- In Marshallese, the intensity of a smell is often indicated by repeating the word, such as saying bwiin bwiin to mean 'very stinky'.
- In Marshallese, words for smells often change depending on whether the scent is natural or caused by something rotting.
Example conversation
Samuel and Mary are cleaning the kitchen.
- SamuelMary, bwiin eaan!Mary, it is stinky!
- MaryE bwiin ijo?Is the trash stinky?
- SamuelEe, bwiin ijo.Yes, the trash is stinky.
- MaryIakwe, kajid ijo!Oh, take it out!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry bwiin, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
