A new systematic collection and classification of odour words by using a product review dataset

PLoS One. 2023 Aug 10;18(8):e0289368. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289368. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

The odours encountered on a daily basis are dependent on an individual's society and culture. Therefore, when conducting olfactory tests, the odour stimuli utilized must be appropriate for the individual's environment. In this study, we gathered and classified the odours experienced by Japanese individuals in their daily lives through a large dataset of product reviews encompassing food and household items. Specifically, we performed morphological analysis on product review sentences in Japanese that contained odour descriptions, and we compiled the nouns used to describe odours. A total of 617,208 sentences that reviewed odour experiences and their corresponding nouns were collected. The top 100 frequently used odour nouns were classified into 15 clusters according to the context in which they were used. The methodology employed in collecting and classifying odour nouns as presented in this study can be utilized in other situations. It can assist in selecting appropriate odour stimuli for the olfactory test based on the society, culture, and time period.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Food
  • Humans
  • Odorants*
  • Smell*

Grants and funding

This study was supported by grants from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI (Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, https://www.jsps.go.jp/j-grantsinaid/) JP20H04559 (SA-K). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.