Is there really no native Telugu verb for “smell”?
My Ammamma and taataji were watching a Telugu serial and I overheard the phrase “vaasana chuustunte…”.
As a L1 English speaker, this immediately caught my attention because the phrase just sounds off when translated to English: “Seeing the smell…”
In English, there are distinct verbs associated for all five senses yet, for Telugu, I don’t know of any distinct ones for taste and smell.
To see - chuudu, kanabadu
To touch - muttuko
To hear - vinu
To smell - vaasana chuudu (lit. “To see the smell”)
To taste - ruci chuudu (lit. “To see the taste”)
Are there any native Telugu words for smelling and tasting?
I guess the phrases would sound better if I translate “chuudu” as “perceive” but I still would like to know if there are other alternatives to the current phrases for smell and taste.