daidokoro kara ii nioi ga shite kite, karee no kaori da to sugu wakatta.

A nice smell came from the kitchen, and I knew right away it was the aroma of curry.

Breakdown of daidokoro kara ii nioi ga shite kite, karee no kaori da to sugu wakatta.

• が: subject particle
• の: possessive case particle
• と: quotative particle
• だ: to be

Questions & Answers about daidokoro kara ii nioi ga shite kite, karee no kaori da to sugu wakatta.

Why is から used after 台所?

Here から means from or out of. It marks the starting point or source of the smell:

• 台所から = from the kitchen

So the sentence is saying that a nice smell was coming from the kitchen.

This is very natural with things like smells, sounds, light, voices, and wind:

• 部屋から音がする = A sound is coming from the room.
• 外からいい風が入ってくる = A nice breeze comes in from outside.

What does 匂いがする mean exactly? Why use する with a smell?

匂いがする is a very common expression meaning:

• to smell
• to give off a smell
• there is a smell

Literally, it is something like a smell does/is happening, but in natural English we just say it smells or I smell ... depending on context.

In Japanese, する is used in several sensory expressions:

• 音がする = a sound is heard / it makes a sound
• 味がする = it tastes like ...
• 気がする = I feel like ... / it seems to me ...

So いい匂いがしてきて means a nice smell started to come / I began to smell something nice.

What is the role of in ?