可燃 (kě rán) — combustible (able to burn) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Technical/scientific adjective meaning 'able to burn' — used in chemistry, safety warnings, and material descriptions rather than everyday speech.

adjective

combustible (able to burn)

Examples

可燃。
Cāo zuò kě rán qì tǐ shí yào xiǎo xīn.
Be careful when handling combustible gas.
可燃。
Gōng chǎng lǐ jìn zhǐ cún fàng kě rán wù pǐn.
Storing combustible items is prohibited in the factory.
可燃。
Zhè zhǒng kě rán cái liào bù róng yú shuǐ.
This combustible material does not dissolve in water.

Origin

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

可 means able, and 燃 means burn, giving something able to burn.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

丂

丂kǎo可kě

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

可 pairs 口 (mouth) with 丂 as a sound part; it is tied to air from the mouth, perhaps singing.

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

火然燃

Meaning part形符xíngfú

火火huǒfire

Sound part声符shēngfú

然

然rán燃rán

Same sound today

燃 adds 火 (fire) to 然 to write “burn”; 然 supplied the sound, and 火 was added to make the fire meaning clear.

Appears in

Physics & Chemistry

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