温める

• Reading: あたためる
• Romaji: atatameru
• Kanji breakdown: 温 (atata) — warm (氵 = water + 日 = sun)
• Pronunciation: /a.ta.ta.me.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To warm up; to heat up. To raise the temperature of food, drinks, or objects.

A Group 2 (ichidan) verb for heating or warming something. Essential in cooking for reheating food and warming drinks. Convenience store staff commonly ask お温めしますか (Shall I heat this up?) when you buy a bento. The related intransitive form is 温まる (to become warm).

Examples

1. お弁当を電子レンジで温めました。 I heated up my lunch box in the microwave.
2. 牛乳を少し温めてから飲みます。 I warm the milk up a little before drinking it.
3. 冷めたスープをもう一度温めてください。 Please reheat the soup that has gone cold.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, convenience stores, daily life

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From the kanji 温 (warm), which combines 氵 (water), 日 (sun), and 皿 (dish). Evokes the image of water warmed by the sun. The める ending marks it as a transitive verb.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal