Definitions
- 1. to scald
- 2. to burn (by scalding)
- 3. to blanch (cooking)
- 4. to heat (sth) up in hot water
- 5. to perm
- 6. to iron
- 7. scalding hot
Character focus
Stroke order
Word relationships
Related words
4 itemsto burn
烫 emphasizes contact with hot liquid or steam; 烧 emphasizes burning with fire
to warm up
烫 means scalding hot; 热 means hot in general
to boil
沸 is for boiling liquid; 烫 is for the sensation of being scalded by hot liquid
to scald
烫伤 is a noun for a scald injury
Usage notes
Collocations
Common in 烫衣服 (to iron clothes) and 烫头发 (to perm hair); not for ordinary heating.
Common mistakes
Do not use 烫 to mean general burning by fire or dry heat; it specifically involves hot liquid, steam, or a hot surface.
Example Sentences
2 shown小心，这水很 烫 。
汤太 烫 了。
Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org. AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.
Words Containing 烫
lit. a dead pig doesn't fear scalding water (idiom)
to blanch (cooking)
boiling
burning hot
to iron (clothes)
to burn
to scald
to press (clothes)
hot potato
clothes iron
to iron (clothes)
ironing board
perm
perm (hairstyle)
burning hot
garment steamer