Italian Word of the Day: Fiuto (sense of smell / instinct)

Today’s word of the day is fiuto, which comes from the verb fiutare meaning to to smell / to sniff.

/fiù·to/
cover image with the word “fiuto” and a dog sniffing in the background

Fiuto is a masculine noun, so it takes the following definite and indefinite articles.

il fiuto

un fiuto

i fiuti

dei fiuti

Fiuto is most frequently used to talk about an animal’s sense of smell, or even more specifically, that of a cane (dog).

I cani hanno un fiuto molto più fine di quello degli esseri umani.

Dogs have a much keener sense of smell than humans.


Beagle dog sniffing trail in snow.
Il cane ha un fiuto molto sviluppato. = The dog has a highly developed sense of smell.

However, it can also be used figuratively to denote a person’s intuition, instinct, flair or knack for something, such as gli affari (business).

Lila ha un buon fiuto per gli affari. Puoi fidarti di lei.

Lila has a good business instinct. You can trust her.


Related to this figurative meaning is the expression al fiuto which means right away, and with immediate intuition.

Io la gente disonesta la riconosco al fiuto.

I can immediately sniff out dishonest people.



Ethics statement: Below you will find affiliate links. If you buy something after clicking the link, we will receive a small commission. To know more about our ethics, you can visit our full disclosure page. Thank you!

Lingopie (affiliate link) is the Netflix of language learning application that uses real TV shows and movies to help you learn a new language. You can choose a show to watch based on your fluency level, and use the interactive subtitles to get instant translations to help you learn quickly.

Are you interested in improving your Italian in a fun and stress-free manner? Then we highly recommend Serena Capilli's short stories in Italian (affiliate link), designed for beginners, advanced beginners, and lower intermediate learners (A1-B1 CEFR). These stories have been optimised for English speakers in search of a fun, laid-back learning experience! Read our full review here.


Leave a Comment