燥

zào

喿 + 火

Definitions

zào (adjective) dry; parched

zào (adjective) impatient; restless

Etymology

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

Semantic: 火 Phonetic: 喿

About

燥 (zào) is a phono-semantic compound. The fire radical 火 (huǒ) on the left provides the semantic category of heat and burning, while the right component 喿 (zào) offers the pronunciation. This structure points to its core meaning: extreme dryness or parchedness resulting from heat. Beyond describing a physical lack of moisture, 燥 extends to a psychological sense, conveying impatience, irritability, or restlessness, a feeling akin to an internal burn. This emotional usage is common in compound words for anxious moods, linking physical heat directly to emotional volatility.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

今天的天气很干燥。

Jīntiān de tiānqì hěn gānzào.

Today's weather is very dry.

沙漠里空气干燥。

Shāmò lǐ kōngqì gānzào.

The air in the desert is dry.

夏天常常燥热。

Xiàtiān chángcháng zàorè.

Summer is often hot and dry.

皮肤在冬天容易干燥。

Pífū zài dōngtiān róngyì gānzào.

Skin tends to dry out in winter.

干燥的风吹过草原。

Gānzào de fēng chuīguò cǎoyuán.

The dry wind blows across the grassland.

气候干燥导致农作物缺水。

Qìhòu gānzào dǎozhì nóngzuòwù quē shuǐ.

The dry climate causes crops to lack water.

长期处于干燥环境对健康不利。

Chángqī chǔyú gānzào huánjìng duì jiànkāng bùlì.

Being in a dry environment for a long time is not good for health.

科学家研究了干燥地区的水资源管理。

Kēxuéjiā yánjiūle gānzào dìqū de shuǐ zīyuán guǎnlǐ.

Scientists have studied water resource management in arid regions.

Related Characters

Component: 喿

Component: 火

燥