烤 (kǎo) — to roast, to bake, to broil
Definition
烤 (kǎo) means 'to roast/bake/grill' with direct heat — meat, bread, fish, etc. It focuses on the cooking method itself; 烧 is broader (also 'to burn, to boil'), and 烘/烘焙 mean 'to bake' with indirect, dry heat.
verb
to roastto baketo broil
Easily confused
Examples
- 烤。Wǒ xǐ huan chī kǎo yáng ròu chuàn.I like to eat roasted lamb skewers.
- 烤。Mā ma zài kǎo xiāng lǐ kǎo miàn bāo.Mom is baking bread in the oven.
- 烤。kǎo Yú de shí hou yào xiǎo xīn huǒ.Be careful with the fire when roasting fish.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
烤 pairs 火 (fire) with 考, which supplies the sound; the fire part is used because the meaning involves heat or roasting.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 4 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.