# くさい
## Japanese

* Alternative spelling
* 臭い

### Etymology

From Old Japanese. First attested in the Nihon Shoki of 720 logographically as 臰, and in the Shin'yaku Kegonkyō Ongi Shiki of 794 as 久佐之. In turn, from Proto-Japonic *kusa. Cognate with 糞(くそ) (kuso, “feces, arse, shit”) and 腐(くさ)る (kusaru, “to rot”).

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) くさい [kùsáꜜì] (Nakadaka –)
* IPA: [kɯ̟̊sa̠i]
* Tokyo pitch accent of inflected forms of 「臭い」
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary :
| Stem forms ||||
| Continuative (連用形) | 臭く | くさく くさく | [kúꜜsàkù] [kùsáꜜkù] |
| Terminal (終止形) | 臭い | くさい | [kùsáꜜì] |
| Attributive (連体形) | 臭い | くさい | [kùsáꜜì] |
| Key constructions ||||
| Informal negative | 臭くない | くさくない くさくない | [kúꜜsàkùnàì] [kùsáꜜkùnàì] |
| Informal past | 臭かった | くさかった くさかった | [kúꜜsàkàttà] [kùsáꜜkàttà] |
| Informal negative past | 臭くなかった | くさくなかった くさくなかった | [kúꜜsàkùnàkàttà] [kùsáꜜkùnàkàttà] |
| Formal | 臭いです | くさいです | [kùsáꜜìdèsù] |
| Conjunctive | 臭くて | くさくて くさくて | [kúꜜsàkùtè] [kùsáꜜkùtè] |
| Conditional | 臭ければ | くさければ くさければ | [kúꜜsàkèrèbà] [kùsáꜜkèrèbà] |

### Adjective

くさい • (kusai) -i (adverbial くさく (kusaku))
* stinking, smelly, pungent; giving off a bad smell
* suspicious, fishy; arousing suspicion

#### Inflection

Stem forms :
| Imperfective (未然形) | くさかろ | kusakaro |
| Continuative (連用形) | くさく | kusaku |
| Terminal (終止形) | くさい | kusai |
| Attributive (連体形) | くさい | kusai |
| Hypothetical (仮定形) | くさけれ | kusakere |
| Imperative (命令形) | くさかれ | kusakare |
| Key constructions ||||
| Informal negative | くさくない | kusaku nai |
| Informal past | くさかった | kusakatta |
| Informal negative past | くさくなかった | kusaku nakatta |
| Formal | くさいです | kusai desu |
| Formal negative | くさくないです | kusaku nai desu |
| Formal past | くさかったです | kusakatta desu |
| Formal negative past | くさくなかったです | kusaku nakatta desu |
| Conjunctive | くさくて | kusakute |
| Conditional | くさければ | kusakereba |
| Provisional | くさかったら | kusakattara |
| Volitional | くさかろう | kusakarō |
| Adverbial | くさく | kusaku |
| Degree | くささ | kusasa |

#### Synonyms

* (suspicious): 胡(う)散(さん)臭(くさ)い (usankusai)

#### See also

* 腐(くさ)る (kusaru)

### Suffix

くさい • (-kusai)
* smells like; reeks of
    鉄(てつ)臭(くさ)い
       tetsu-kusai
       metallic, like blood
* (negatively) very much like; conceptually similar to
    ジジ臭(くさ)い
       jiji-kusai
       like an old man
    昭(しょう)和(わ)臭(くさ)い
       Shōwa-kusai
       like the Shōwa era
* (with a quasi-adjective stem) an intensifier
    面(めん)倒(どう)臭(くさ)い
       mendō-kusai
       a hassle

#### Usage notes

Forms an adjective.

### References

* ↑ Omodaka, Hisataka (1967) 時代別国語大辞典 上代編 [The dictionary of historical Japanese: Old Japanese] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN, page 255
* 1 2 “くさ・い 【臭】”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000-2002, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here
* ↑ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN