焼ける

• Reading: やける
• Romaji: yakeru
• Kanji breakdown: 焼 (shou/ya) — burn, grill, bake
• Pronunciation: /ja.ke.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To burn; to be grilled; to be baked. Describes food cooking through heat or things catching fire.

A Group 2 (ichidan) intransitive verb. The counterpart of 焼く (yaku, to grill/bake, transitive). Used for bread baking, meat grilling, skin tanning (日焼け), and buildings burning. Also used figuratively in 焼きもちを焼く (to be jealous).

Examples

1. パンがこんがり焼けていい匂いがする。 The bread is nicely toasted and smells great.
2. 夏に海で泳いだら顔が日に焼けました。 I went swimming at the beach in summer and my face got sunburned.
3. 隣の家が火事で焼けたそうです。 I heard the house next door burned down in a fire.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, weather, disasters

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 焼 combines 火 (fire) with 尭 (high). As an intransitive verb, it describes the process of something being affected by fire or heat.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal