Word
焼ける
Meaning in Englishburn, be roasted, get burned
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
焼ける means to burn or become burnt when exposed to heat or flame; it also describes food or objects being heated until cooked, browned, or done, and is used intransitively with the subject undergoing the change.
Main meanings
- to burn or catch fire, causing damage or change in the object
- to bake or cook food in an oven or on a grill, resulting in browning or doneness
- to become scorched or charred on the surface due to heat
- to indicate that food has finished baking or cooking in casual contexts
How to use it
Used primarily in cooking and heat related contexts, with intransitive subject; casual to polite forms: パンが焼ける, 魚が焼ける; polite 焼けます; in writing for describing fires or damage use 家が焼ける.
Variants and close terms
- 焦げる (kogeru) — to burn or scorch
- 焼く (yaku) — to burn or bake, transitive
- 焼ける (yakeru) — the intransitive form
Composition
- 焼: fire, burn
- ける: verb-ending forming an intransitive -eru verb
Etymology
焼 indicates burn or roast; the ける suffix forms the intransitive verb and the pronunciation follows the native kun reading, yielding the verb yakeru that denotes heat induced change.
Word class
verb (動詞, ichidan/ru-verb)