沸かす

• Reading: わかす
• Romaji: wakasu
• Kanji breakdown: 沸 (futsu/wa) — boil, seethe
• Pronunciation: /wa.ka.sɯ/

Meaning

To boil; to heat water until it boils.

A Group 1 (godan) verb conjugated with the す row. The transitive pair of 沸く (to boil, intransitive). Primarily used for boiling water for tea, cooking, or bathing. お湯を沸かす (to boil water) is one of the most common collocations.

Examples

1. お茶を入れるので、お湯を沸かしてください。 I'm going to make tea, so please boil some water.
2. 朝起きたらまずやかんでお湯を沸かします。 The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is boil water in the kettle.
3. お風呂を沸かすのに三十分かかります。 It takes thirty minutes to heat the bath.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, daily life, home

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 沸 combines 氵 (water radical) and 弗 (to gush forth), depicting water bubbling up vigorously when heated.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal