焦

jiāo

灬 + 隹

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

jiāo (adjective) burnt; scorched; charred

jiāo (adjective) worried; anxious

jiāo (noun) coke

Etymology

Originally a pictograph of a wren. Based on the original meaning "wren", now written as 鷦. Later used as a phonetic loan for "burn", after which the fire (灬) component was added.

About

The character 焦 began as a pictograph of a wren (now written 鷦). It was later borrowed phonetically to represent "burn", after which the fire component 灬 was added to the original form. Combining 隹 (vestige of the bird pictograph) and 灬 (fire), it conveys the idea of being scorched or charred. This physical sense was metaphorically extended to intense psychological states such as anxiety or worry, likening emotional distress to burning from within.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Warring States (475-221 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我的面包烤焦了。

Wǒ de miànbāo kǎo jiāo le.

My bread is burnt.

焦糖蛋糕很好吃。

Jiāotáng dàngāo hěn hǎochī.

Caramel cake is delicious.

他看起来很焦急。

Tā kàn qǐlái hěn jiāojí.

He looks very anxious.

焦点放在问题上。

Jiāodiǎn fàng zài wèntí shàng.

Focus on the problem.

他因焦虑而失眠。

Tā yīn jiāolǜ ér shīmián.

He can't sleep due to anxiety.

火灾后房屋焦黑。

Huǒzāi hòu fángwū jiāohēi.

After the fire, the house was burnt black.

焦炭用于钢铁生产。

Jiāotàn yòng yú gāngtiě shēngchǎn.

Coke is used in steel production.

焦耳是能量单位。

Jiāo'ěr shì néngliàng dānwèi.

Joule is a unit of energy.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 灬

Component: 隹

焦