きな臭い

• 読み: きなくさい
• ローマ字: kinakusai
• 漢字の分解: 臭 (shuu/kusa) — smell, odour; い — i-adjective suffix (きな refers to a charred, burnt smell)
• 発音: /ki.na.kɯ.sa.i/

意味

Smelling of something burning; suspicious; having the ominous whiff of danger or imminent conflict. Both literal and figurative senses are in common use.

An i-adjective describing either a literal burning smell or, far more commonly, a figurative sense that something dangerous or politically ominous is afoot. The original meaning refers to the smell of burnt cloth or gunpowder, which evolved into a metaphor for sensing impending trouble. Frequently appears in journalism and political commentary to describe volatile situations.

例文

1. 会議の空気がきな臭くなってきたと感じた時点で、私は退席した。
2. その地域では最近きな臭い動きが続いており、緊張が高まっている。
3. きな臭い話には関わるなと父に言われて育った。

使い方ガイド

場面: politics, suspicion, everyday language

トーン: cautionary

起源と歴史

The prefix きな relates to the smell of charred material — possibly from きなこ (roasted soybean flour) or smouldering cloth. By extension, 'smelling of burning' came to evoke the ominous whiff of impending conflict or danger.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: Adults

社会的背景: Universal