烤

kǎo
火 + 考
HSK 3.0Level 4

Definitions

kǎo (verb) to roast; to bake; to broil

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 火 represents the meaning and 考 represents the sound.

Semantic: 火 Phonetic: 考

About

The character 烤 (kǎo) is a phono-semantic compound, with the fire radical 火 (huǒ) on the left indicating its association with heat and flames, and the phonetic component 考 (kǎo) on the right. The fire radical defines its core meaning: the application of direct, dry heat to something. This primarily refers to cooking methods like roasting meat over a fire, baking in an oven, or toasting bread. It also describes the act of warming oneself near a heat source, such as a campfire or radiator, highlighting the transfer of thermal energy.

Example Sentences Hide

我喜欢烤面包。

Wǒ xǐhuān kǎo miànbāo.

I like baking bread.

他烤了鸡肉。

Tā kǎo le jīròu.

He roasted chicken.

我们在花园里烤肉。

Wǒmen zài huāyuán lǐ kǎo ròu.

We are roasting meat in the garden.

烤箱里的蛋糕烤好了。

Kǎoxiāng lǐ de dàngāo kǎo hǎo le.

The cake in the oven is done baking.

夏天烧烤派对很有趣。

Xiàtiān shāokǎo pàiduì hěn yǒuqù.

Summer barbecue parties are very fun.

她用慢火烤红薯，味道更甜。

Tā yòng màn huǒ kǎo hóngshǔ, wèidào gèng tián.

She roasts sweet potatoes with slow fire, and the taste is sweeter.

如果你烤鱼时间太长，它会变得很干。

Rúguǒ nǐ kǎo yú shíjiān tài cháng, tā huì biàn de hěn gān.

If you roast fish for too long, it will become very dry.

经过精心烤制的牛排，外焦里嫩，深受食客喜爱。

Jīngguò jīngxīn kǎo zhì de niúpái, wài jiāo lǐ nèn, shēn shòu shíkè xǐ'ài.

The steak that is carefully roasted is crispy outside and tender inside, deeply loved by diners.

Related Characters

Component: 火

灵 炮 灭 烟 炸 伙 灯 秋 烧 爆 烦 灰 炎 灾

Component: 考

拷 铐 栲 耉 銬

Example Words

烧烤 烤火 烤箱 烤肉 烤鸭 烘烤 烤串 烤架 烤焦 烤烟 烤炉 烤盘 烤鸡 烤饼 烤麸 烤面包 焗烤 焙烤 熏烤 现烤