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What is the Kanji for "Boil" and "Cook"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Boil" and "Cook", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Boil" and "Cook" is "炊".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Ta".

Its onyomi reading is "Sui".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The kanji "火" means "Fire" and can be read as "Hi", "Ka" and "Ho". And The kanji "欠" means "Lack" and can be read as "Ka" and "Ketsu".

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "炊" mean in japanese?

"炊" means "Boil" and "Cook" .

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Junior Highschool, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N1 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

自炊: "Cook". The Japanese verbal noun '自炊 (じすい)' means 'to cook for oneself'. This refers to the act of preparing and cooking one's own meals at home, rather than eating out or relying on pre-made or delivered food. It implies a sense of self-reliance and independence. Examples: I cook my own meals at home - (私は自分で食事を作る). She enjoys the self-cooking lifestyle - (彼女は自炊の生活を楽しんでいる).
炊事: "Cooking". The Japanese verbal noun '炊事 (すいじ)' means 'cooking'. This word refers to the act of preparing food by heating, mixing, and combining ingredients. It encompasses a wide range of culinary activities such as boiling, frying, baking, and more. '炊事' is often used when discussing household chores or responsibilities related to meal preparation. For example: I enjoy cooking - (私は炊事が好きです). She is skilled at cooking - (彼女は炊事が上手です).
炊く: "Cook". The Japanese verb '炊く (たく)' means 'to cook'. This verb is specifically used to describe the act of cooking rice or other grains. It can also be used more broadly to refer to the preparation of food through the application of heat. For example: I will cook rice - (ご飯を炊きます). Please cook the vegetables - (野菜を炊いてください).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "す" is read as "su". The hiragana "い" is read as "i". And The hiragana "た" is read as "ta".