魚の臭いがする
sakana no nioi ga suru
The English phrase "you smell like fish" is translated into Japanese as 魚の臭いがする (sakana no nioi ga suru).
This phrase is used to state that someone's body or their clothes have the scent of fish.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of sakana (fish), the particle no (possessive particle), nioi (smell/scent), ga (subject marker) and suru (to do/to exist/to emit). Literally, it means "fish's smell exists."
How does it change in a sentence?
In this phrase, the verb suru is used to indicate that a certain scent is being perceived or emitted by an object or person.
How do you pronounce it?
sakana no nioi ga suru
Did you know?
- Due to the cultural emphasis on kuuki wo yomu or 'reading the air', telling someone they smell like fish is considered extremely blunt. Most Japanese speakers would use a vague indirect phrase to avoid causing 'loss of face'.
- To describe a 'fishy' situation in a metaphorical sense, such as something being suspicious, Japanese does not use the word sakana. Instead, it uses ayashii or refers to things as being 'dark' or 'murky'.
- In Japanese, the word nioi is a general term for smell, but to describe a specifically foul or stinky odor, speakers use kusai. While nioi is neutral, using kusai would turn this phrase into a direct insult.
Examples in context
- 君の服から魚の臭いがする。Kimi no fuku kara sakana no nioi ga suru.Your clothes smell like fish.
- さっきから魚の臭いがするよ。Sakki kara sakana no nioi ga suru yo.You've been smelling like fish for a while.
- この部屋、魚の臭いがするね。Kono heya, sakana no nioi ga suru ne.This room smells like fish, doesn't it?
Example conversation
Hina notices a smell when Ren comes home from the market.
- 陽葵 Himariおかえり。蓮、魚の臭いがするよ。Okaeri. Ren, sakana no nioi ga suru yo.Welcome home. Ren, you smell like fish.
- 蓮 Ren本当だ。魚を買ってきたからかな。Hontō da. Sakana o katte kita kara kana.You're right. Maybe it's because I bought fish.
- 陽葵 Himariすぐに手を洗ったほうがいいよ。Sugu ni te o aratta hō ga ii yo.You should wash your hands right away.
- 蓮 Renそうだね。今洗ってくるよ。Sō da ne. Ima aratte kuru yo.True. I'll go wash them now.
