How common it is
烧 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say shāo slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
烧是指用火加热东西，比如烧水或烧饭。
Shāo shì zhǐ yòng huǒ jiārè dōngxi, bǐrú shāo shuǐ huò shāo fàn.
Burn means to heat something with fire, like boiling water or cooking rice.
Context note
烧火时要小心，不要碰到火焰，注意安全。
Shāo huǒ shí yào xiǎoxīn, bùyào pèng dào huǒyàn, zhùyì ānquán.
Be careful when burning fire, don't touch the flame, and pay attention to safety.
5 examples
妈妈在厨房烧水泡茶。
mā ma zài chú fáng shāo shuǐ pào chá。
Mom is boiling water in the kitchen to make tea.
冬天，我们烧火取暖。
dōng tiān， wǒ men shāo huǒ qǔ nuǎn。
In winter, we burn fire to keep warm.
爸爸烧了一桌好菜。
bà ba shāo le yì zhuō hǎo cài。
Dad cooked a table of delicious dishes.
不要烧树叶，会污染空气。
bú yào shāo shù yè， huì wū rǎn kōng qì。
Don't burn leaves, it will pollute the air.
蜡烛烧完了，房间变暗了。
là zhú shāo wán le， fáng jiān biàn àn le。
The candle burned out, and the room became dark.
5 mini stories
小明帮妈妈烧水，水开了就关火。
xiǎo míng bāng mā ma shāo shuǐ， shuǐ kāi le jiù guān huǒ。
Xiao Ming helped his mom boil water, and turned off the fire when it boiled.
烧水的时候，小明一直看着，很小心。
shāo shuǐ de shí hòu， xiǎo míng yì zhí kàn zhe， hěn xiǎo xīn。
While boiling water, Xiao Ming kept watching, very carefully.
爷爷在院子里烧落叶，做肥料。
yé ye zài yuàn zi lǐ shāo luò yè， zuò féi liào。
Grandpa burns fallen leaves in the yard to make fertilizer.
烧落叶时，爷爷用铲子翻动，让火更旺。
shāo luò yè shí， yé ye yòng chǎn zǐ fān dòng， ràng huǒ gèng wàng。
When burning leaves, Grandpa uses a shovel to stir, making the fire stronger.
学校教我们不要随便烧东西，要保护环境。
xué xiào jiào wǒ men bú yào suí biàn shāo dōng xī， yào bǎo hù huán jìng。
School teaches us not to burn things casually, to protect the environment.