灼 meaning and stroke order
To burn, to cauterize; bright
How to write 灼, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Meaning of 灼
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to burn; to sear; to scorch
- (bound form) bright; luminous
How 灼 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Fire.
火 gives the meaning and 勺 hints at the sound.
Radical: 火 (fire), shared by 128 characters on this site.
How to remember 灼
灼 is fire 火 on the left with a ladle 勺 (sháo) on the right. Picture holding a metal ladle over a fire until it is so hot it burns your hand.
灼 is mostly used in written or formal words rather than alone. Common words are 灼热 (zhuórè) for burning hot and 灼伤 (zhuóshāng) for a burn injury. Example: 他的手被开水灼伤了。(Tā de shǒu bèi kāishuǐ zhuóshāng le.) His hand was scalded by boiling water.
Common mistake: Learners often read 灼 as sháo because of the phonetic part 勺, but the correct reading is zhuó with a second tone. Also do not confuse it with 约 (yuē), which has the silk radical 纟 instead of fire 火.
Common words with 灼
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
灼 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 灼
How many strokes are in 灼?
灼 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 灼 mean?
灼 (zhuó) means to burn, to cauterize; bright. A common word with it is 灼热 (zhuórè), meaning "burning hot; scorching".
How do you pronounce 灼?
灼 is pronounced zhuó, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 灼?
The radical of 灼 is 火, which carries the idea of "fire". Dictionaries list 灼 under this radical.
Is 灼 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 灼 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 真知灼见 mean?
真知灼见 (zhēnzhī zhuójiàn) is a set phrase meaning genuine knowledge and penetrating insight. Here 灼 carries its bright, clear sense, like a view that shines with understanding.
Is 灼伤 the same as 烧伤 or 烫伤?
All three mean a burn injury. 烫伤 (tàngshāng) usually means a scald from hot liquid or objects, 烧伤 (shāoshāng) often means a burn from fire, and 灼伤 is a more general, formal term that also covers chemical burns.