Key Facts
- Hangul: 냄새나다 (naemsaenada)
- Meaning: to smell
- Part of speech: verb (동사)
- Level: B1
- Stem: 냄새나
- Class: regular
- Objects: intransitive
What Does 냄새나다 Mean?
냄새나다 describes a thing that gives off a smell, usually an unpleasant one. 이 방은 냄새나요 says the room smells. The source of the smell is the subject, and the place the smell comes from can be marked with 에서, as in 신발에서 냄새나다. The compound 냄새나다 describes an unpleasant smell. In 냄새가 나다, 냄새 is a separate noun with the subject marker 가. A pleasant smell is usually described with 향기 or a different phrase.
How Do You Pronounce 냄새나다?
The dictionary form is read as spelled. Endings bring the usual changes, so the formal present 냄새납니다 is said [냄새남니다], the past 냄새났어요 is said [냄새나써요], and the plan form 냄새날 거예요 is said [냄새날꺼예요].
How Do You Use 냄새나다 in a Sentence?
이 방은 냄새나요.
This room smells.
이 방은 is the topic and the polite present 냄새나요 tells you what the room is like. No object is needed.
어제 부엌에서 냄새났어요.
Yesterday there was a smell in the kitchen.
어제 부엌에서 uses 에서 to mark the location the smell came from. The past 냄새났어요 is the polite past of the whole verb.
신발에서 냄새나서 빨았어요.
My shoes smelled, so I washed them.
신발에서 locates the smell, and the connecting ending 냄새나서 gives the reason for washing them. 빨았어요 is the result.
How Does Naemsaenada Conjugation Work?
냄새나다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 냄새나요 | ||
| Polite past | 냄새났어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 냄새날 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 냄새나겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 냄새납니다 | ||
| Formal past | 냄새났습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 냄새날 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 냄새나 | ||
| Casual past | 냄새났어 | ||
| Casual future | 냄새날 거야 | ||
| Because / and then | 냄새나서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 냄새나면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 냄새나는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 냄새난 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 냄새날 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 냄새나지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 냄새나요 | — |
| Polite past | 냄새났어요 | [냄새나써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 냄새날 거예요 | [냄새날꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 냄새나겠어요 | [냄새나게써요] |
| Formal present | 냄새납니다 | [냄새남니다] |
| Formal past | 냄새났습니다 | [냄새낟씀니다] |
| Formal future | 냄새날 것입니다 | [냄새날꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 냄새나 | — |
| Casual past | 냄새났어 | [냄새나써] |
| Casual future | 냄새날 거야 | [냄새날꺼야] |
| Because / and then | 냄새나서 | — |
| Conditional (if) | 냄새나면 | — |
| Modifier, present | 냄새나는 | — |
| Modifier, past | 냄새난 | — |
| Modifier, future | 냄새날 | — |
| Short negative | 안 냄새나요 | — |
| Long negative | 냄새나지 않아요 | [냄새나지 아나요] |
Is 냄새나다 Regular or Irregular?
냄새나다 is regular. It joins the noun 냄새 and the verb 나다 into one block, and only the 나 part changes with the ending. The stem 냄새나 ends in a vowel, so endings attach with no vowel added: 냄새나요, 냄새나면. The casual present 냄새나 is simply the stem on its own. For the short negative, everyday speech splits the noun off and puts 안 before 나다: 냄새 안 나요 (it doesn't smell). The honorific form is left out because it would describe a respected person giving off a smell, which is rude. The lesson on how to conjugate Korean verbs in the present tense explains the full pattern.
Common Mistake with 냄새나다
Wrong: ✗ 냄새를 나요
Correct: ✓ 냄새가 나요
Why: Because 냄새 is a noun, learners put 를 on it as if it were the object of a verb like 맡다. In 냄새가 나다 the smell is the subject: 냄새가 나요. Use 냄새를 맡다 only when you actively smell something.
냄새나다 Versus 맡다 and 향기
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 맡다 | 맡다 is to smell something actively with your nose (냄새를 맡다); 냄새나다 is the thing giving off a smell. |
| 향기 | 향기 is a pleasant scent and is a noun, not used for bad odours. |
An Odd Smell in a Shared Kitchen
Two housemates are checking the kitchen after work. They describe the smell now, recall yesterday, and explain what they cleaned.
Mina
부엌에서 냄새나요.
Bueokeseo naemsaenayo.
There’s a bad smell in the kitchen.
Alex
어제도 냄새났어요.
Eojedo naemsaenasseoyo.
It smelled yesterday too.
Mina
쓰레기통에서 냄새나서 씻었어요.
Sseuregitongeseo naemsaenaseo ssiseosseoyo.
The bin smelled, so I washed it.
Alex
창문도 열어요.
Changmundo yeoreoyo.
Let’s open the window too.
에서 points to the source or location: the first line gives the kitchen, and the third narrows the source to the bin. 냄새나서 links the smell to the cleaning that followed. The final suggestion adds a practical response without claiming that opening the window has already removed the smell.
Which Smell Phrases Belong Together?
| Phrase | Meaning | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| 냄새나는 옷 | smelly clothes | The compound describes an unpleasant odour. |
| 땀 냄새가 나다 | to smell of sweat | 땀 identifies the kind of smell. |
| 음식 냄새가 나다 | to smell of food | The phrase identifies a source without judging it. |
| 좋은 냄새가 나다 | to smell good | 좋은 makes the positive meaning explicit. |
English “smell” can describe a person using their nose or an object giving off an odour. 냄새나다 covers the second situation. A person sniffing a shirt uses 냄새를 맡다; the shirt itself can be described as 냄새나는 옷. Changing the particle also changes the role of the smell: 가 makes it the subject of 나다, while 를 makes it the object of 맡다.
With food, identifying an aroma is different from complaining about a stink. 음식 냄새가 나다 can simply mean that cooking is noticeable nearby. 좋은 냄새가 나다 welcomes the aroma. Bare 냄새나요 usually sounds like a complaint, so it is an awkward way to praise someone's meal.
How Does the Spacing Change the Expression?
냄새나다 is a compound for giving off an unpleasant smell. 냄새가 나다 is a noun with a particle followed by a verb. When another word modifies 냄새, keep that noun separate from 나다: 좋은 냄새 나다. The National Institute of Korean Language's spacing explanation distinguishes the compound from these modified noun phrases.
For a negative, 냄새 안 나요 is useful in conversation: it says there is no noticeable smell. Leave a space before 안 and before 나요. This phrasing is especially handy after washing clothes or cleaning a room, when you want to report the result rather than describe the cleaning action.
Where Will You Hear 냄새나다?
Housemates use 냄새나다 about shoes, bins, laundry and rooms. In a laundry conversation, naming the item is helpful: the listener needs to know whether the shoes or the socks need washing. In accommodation feedback, naming the room or bathroom similarly makes a complaint easier to understand.
Saying a person smells is sensitive, even with a polite ending. 냄새나요 addresses the listener politely but still gives a blunt assessment. When discussing a shared space, identify the source you can actually notice rather than attaching the complaint to a person. The kitchen dialogue does this by moving from the room to the bin.
A smell report also leaves its cause open. 냄새나다 describes an odour; 더럽다 describes being dirty. Something can retain a smell after cleaning, so the two words answer different questions. 향기, by contrast, names a pleasant scent and often appears in descriptions of flowers or perfume.
Words for Identifying a Smell
| Korean | Meaning | Useful next step |
|---|---|---|
| 냄새 | smell / odour | Name the sensation before saying what causes it. |
| 향기 | fragrance | Choose this noun for a pleasant scent. |
| 쓰레기통 | rubbish bin | A concrete source in a kitchen complaint. |
| 신발 | shoes | Use 에서 to say the smell comes from shoes. |
The bathroom vocabulary lesson helps you identify another setting for odour complaints; the body vocabulary lesson supplies body-part words for more specific conversations about sweat or feet.
Mini Drill: Source, Particle and Ending
- Choose the particle: 냄새가 나요 or 냄새를 나요?
- Put 냄새나다 in the polite past to report yesterday's smell.
- Complete “smelly clothes”: ____ 옷.
- Write the conversational negative using 냄새, 안 and 나요.
Show drill answers
- 냄새가 나요. 나다 takes the smell as its subject.
- 냄새났어요.
- 냄새나는 옷. The modifier belongs before the noun.
- 냄새 안 나요, with spaces between the three parts.
Quick Self-Test
- Which verb describes actively sniffing something: 맡다 or 냄새나다?
- Does 음식 냄새가 나다 necessarily complain about a bad smell?
- Which marker identifies the source in 신발에서 냄새나다?
Show answers
- 맡다, as in 냄새를 맡다.
- No. It identifies a food smell; context supplies the judgment.
- 에서 marks where the smell comes from.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I Write 냄새나다 or 냄새가 나다?
Both are valid. 냄새나다 is a compound for an unpleasant smell; 냄새가 나다 uses the separate noun 냄새 as the subject. When a word modifies 냄새, as in 좋은 냄새가 나다, keep the noun separate from 나다.
Does 냄새나다 Always Mean a Bad Smell?
It mostly describes an unpleasant smell. For a good smell, a word like 향기 is more natural.
Which Particle Marks Where the Smell Comes From?
에서, as in 신발에서 냄새나서.
What Is the Object of 냄새나다?
There is none. In 냄새가 나다, the smell is the subject, so it takes 가, not 를. The compound 냄새나다 is also intransitive and does not take an object.
Which Words Are Related to 냄새나다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Pair 냄새나다 with 맡다 for the active sense, then use 더럽다 and 깨끗하다 for dirty and clean. You can check other forms in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.