All meanings
- stench
- smelly
- to smell (bad)
- repulsive
- loathsome
- terrible
- bad
- severely
- ruthlessly
- dud (ammunition)
In context
Example sentences
这些垃圾放了好几天，已经开始发臭了。
Zhèxiē lājī fàng le hǎo jǐ tiān, yǐjīng kāishǐ fā chòu le.
This garbage has been sitting for several days and has started to stink.
Keep going
Related words
Words with 臭
HSK levels
臭: HSK 5 on both the old and the new exam. See where your old level lands
New exam levels follow the CLEC syllabus released 15 November 2025. The first official sitting of the new exam is announced for 13 December 2026, for HSK 1 to 6. HSK 7-9 is one advanced band.
Study this word
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Frequently Asked Questions
臭 (chòu) means "stench; smelly; to smell (bad); repulsive; loathsome; terrible; bad; severely; ruthlessly; dud (ammunition)" in Chinese. The new HSK exam tests it at HSK 5.
臭 is pronounced "chòu" in Mandarin Chinese. The tone number is 4.
臭 is an HSK 5 word on the new HSK exam syllabus. It is HSK 5 on both the old and the new exam.
Common words with 臭 include 口臭 (bad breath), 恶臭 (stink), 汗臭 (body odor), 狐臭 (body odor), 胡臭 (variant of 狐臭[hu2 chou4]).
You can practice writing 臭 using our stroke order tool.
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.