Chinese word

烫

Pronunciation

Pinyintàng

Meaning

  • adjectivehot

Example

这汤很烫，小心。zhè tāng hěn tàng xiǎo xīn

This soup is very hot, so be careful.

Illustration for 烫 (hot)

More examples

刚出锅的菜很烫手，别直接拿。gāng chū guō de cài hěn tàng shǒu bié zhí jiē ná

The dish just out of the pot is so hot it can burn your hand, so do not pick it up directly.

Core concept

Heat intense enough to sting skin on contact, whether it comes from an object or is applied to change hair.

Common phrases

  • 烫手tàng shǒu

    hot enough to burn your hand

  • 烫得不得了tàng de bù dé liǎo

    terribly hot

Similar words

热rè: Having a high temperature and causing a general feeling of warmth or heat.
烫手tàng shǒu: So hot to touch that handling it is difficult without risking a burn.
滚烫gǔn tàng: Extremely hot, with a surface or liquid that can burn skin immediately on contact.

Definition in Chinese

指表面或液体的温度高到接触会感到灼痛或可能烫伤，也可作为动词表示烫伤或用热处理（如烫头、烫发）。zhǐ biǎo miàn huò yè tǐ de wēn dù gāo dào jiē chù huì gǎn dào zhuó tòng huò kě néng tàng shāng yě kě zuò wéi dòng cí biǎo shì tàng shāng huò yòng rè chú lǐ rú tàng tóu tàng fà

Word origin

The character 烫 (tàng, "hot; to burn; to perm") retains 火 (huǒ, "fire") from its traditional form, making heat the visual link between painful contact and heat-based treatment.

Usage tips

  • In kitchen conversation, it often functions as a safety warning, so its use can sound urgent even when the speaker is simply describing food or a surface.

Other meanings

  • burnverb
  • permverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word