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烧烤 (shāo kǎo) — barbecue (the food or the event)

Definition

烧烤 is the noun for barbecue — both the food and the event. 烤 is just the verb 'to roast/bake'; 烧 covers broader cooking (also 'to burn', 'fever') and isn't used for this dish or gathering.

noun
barbecue (the food or the event)
Measure word · 顿

Examples

  • 烧烤。
    Wǒ zuì xǐ huan hé jiā rén yì qǐ qù chī shāo kǎo.
    I like to go eat barbecue with my family the most.
  • 烧烤。
    shāo kǎo De shí hou wǒ men hē le hěn duō shuǐ.
    During the barbecue we drank a lot of water.
  • 烧烤。
    Wǒ men měi gè xīng qī wǔ wǎn shàng dōu qù shāo kǎo.
    We go to a barbecue every Friday evening.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

烧shāoroast
烤kǎogrill

The word joins 烧, roasting, and 烤, grilling, to name barbecue as a cooking method or food.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 燒; 烧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
堯
堯yáo燒shāo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 燒 pairs 火 (fire) with 堯, which supplies the sound; the simplified 烧 is a shorthand.

Open 烧 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒ
Sound part声符shēngfú
考
考kǎo烤kǎo
Same sound today

烤 pairs 火 (fire) with 考, which supplies the sound; the fire part is used because the meaning involves heat or roasting.

Open 烤 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5CookingFood (General)

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.