湯気

What it means

湯気 means steam or vapor rising from hot water or other heated liquids. It refers to the visible mist produced when liquid is heated, such as in tea, soup, kettles, or baths, and is a common descriptor in cooking, heating, and everyday scenes.

Main meanings

• Visible vapor emitted by boiling or heating liquids, especially in cooking or domestic settings.
• Descriptive usage in writing to convey warmth, aroma, or atmosphere around heated vessels like kettles and teapots.
• In some contexts it can describe steam in machinery or laboratory settings when discussing condensation or heat transfer.

How to use it

湯気 is used in casual and neutral contexts to describe steam from hot liquids; common in cooking, tea making, and baths, as well as in descriptive writing; in formal or technical contexts, the more general term 蒸気 may be used depending on precision.