냄새 나
naemsae na
The phrase "you smell" in Korean is 냄새 나 (naemsae na).
냄새 나 is used to tell someone that they have an unpleasant odor. Because the subject is often omitted in Korean, this phrase can mean both "you smell" or "it smells" depending on the context.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 냄새, meaning "smell" and 나, meaning "to come out" or "to occur". Literally, it translates to "smell comes out".
How does it change in a sentence?
In many contexts, the subject "you" is omitted entirely.
How do you pronounce it?
naemsae na
Did you know?
- In South Korea, 냄새 나 can be used metaphorically to describe a person or situation that 'smells fishy' or seems suspicious.
- The pronoun 나 meaning 'I' may be a cognate with the Old Japanese word na, which also meant 'I'.
- In North Korea, if a word contains the character for 'na', it is often pronounced as 'ra' due to mid-twentieth century language reforms.
Examples in context
- 죄송합니다만, 냄새가 나요.Excuse me, but you have an odor.
- 너 냄새 나.Hey, you smell.
- 너한테서 이상한 냄새 나.neohanteseo isanghan naemsae na.You smell strange.
- 발에서 냄새 나.baleseo naemsae na.Your feet smell.
- 담배 냄새 나요.dambae naemsae nayo.You smell like cigarettes.
Example conversation
Minjun and Seoyeon are sitting together in a small room.
- 민준 Min-jun서연아, 너한테서 약간 냄새 나.Seoyeon-a, neohanteseo yakkan naemsae na.Seoyeon, you smell a little bit.
- 서연 Seo-yeon정말? 무슨 냄새 나?Jeongmal? Museun naemsae na?Really? What kind of smell?
- 민준 Min-jun음식 냄새 나.Eumsik naemsae na.It smells like food.
- 서연 Seo-yeon아, 점심 먹고 나서 그런가 봐.A, jeomsim meokgo naseo geureon-ga bwa.Ah, it must be because I just ate lunch.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 나, 냄새, CC BY-SA 4.0.
