焼く

• Reading: やく
• Romaji: yaku
• Kanji breakdown: 焼 (shou/yaku) — burn, grill, bake
• Pronunciation: /ja.kɯ/

Meaning

To burn; to grill; to bake; to roast. Applying heat to cook food or to set something on fire.

A Group 1 (godan) transitive verb with broad usage. Cooking: 肉を焼く (to grill meat), パンを焼く (to bake bread), 焼き魚 (grilled fish). Burning: ゴミを焼く (to burn rubbish). Also: CDを焼く (to burn a CD), 日焼け (sunburn). The intransitive counterpart is 焼ける. One of the most versatile cooking verbs.

Examples

1. 庭でバーベキューの肉を焼いている。 We're grilling meat for a barbecue in the yard.
2. 母は毎週日曜日にケーキを焼く。 My mom bakes a cake every Sunday.
3. 古い手紙を全部焼いてしまった。 I ended up burning all the old letters.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, daily life, barbecue

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 焼 combines 火 (fire) and 尭 (high/burn). Historically 'fire rising high' — the fundamental act of applying fire to something.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal