溶く

• Reading: とく
• Romaji: toku
• Kanji breakdown: 溶 (you/to) — dissolve, melt
• Pronunciation: /to.kɯ/

Meaning

To dissolve; to melt; to mix (powder or paint) into a liquid.

A Group 1 (godan) transitive verb conjugated with the く row (溶かない, 溶きます). Used specifically for dissolving or mixing a solid substance into liquid: 卵を溶く (beat/whisk eggs), 絵の具を溶く (dissolve paint), 粉を水で溶く (dissolve powder in water). Different from 溶ける (intransitive, to melt) and 溶かす (to melt something). Primarily a cooking and art term.

Examples

1. 卵を溶いてフライパンに入れた。 I beat the eggs and poured them into the frying pan.
2. 絵の具を水で溶いてから塗ってください。 Please dissolve the paint in water before applying it.
3. 片栗粉を水で溶いてスープに加えた。 I dissolved potato starch in water and added it to the soup.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, art, chemistry

Tone: practical

Origin & History

The kanji 溶 combines 氵 (water radical) and 容 (to contain/accommodate), suggesting something being absorbed into or accommodated by a liquid.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal