焚 meaning and stroke order
To burn
How to write 焚, stroke by stroke
12 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 焚
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to burn
How 焚 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Setting fire 火 to a forest 林.
Radical: 火 (fire), shared by 128 characters on this site.
How to remember 焚
焚 (fén) puts fire 火 under a forest 林. Picture a whole woodland going up in flames, and you have the meaning "to burn."
焚 is formal and written. In speech people usually say 烧 (shāo). It appears mostly in compounds like 焚烧 (fénshāo) and 焚毁 (fénhuǐ), and in the idiom 心急如焚. Example: 他心急如焚地等着消息。 (Tā xīnjí-rúfén de děngzhe xiāoxi.) He waited for the news, burning with anxiety.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes confuse 焚 with 禁 (jìn, to forbid), which also has 林 on top but 示 below instead of 火. Also remember the tone is second tone, fén, not fēn like 分.
Common words with 焚
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
焚 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 焚
How many strokes are in 焚?
焚 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 焚 mean?
焚 (fén) means to burn. A common word with it is 焚烧 (fénshāo), meaning "to burn; to set on fire".
How do you pronounce 焚?
焚 is pronounced fén, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 焚?
The radical of 焚 is 火, which carries the idea of "fire". Dictionaries list 焚 under this radical.
Is 焚 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 焚 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 焚 and 烧?
Both mean to burn, but 烧 (shāo) is the everyday word used for cooking, fevers, and burning things in general. 焚 is literary and suggests burning something completely or deliberately, such as documents or buildings.
Does 焚 appear in any famous historical phrases?
Yes. 焚书坑儒 (fénshū kēngrú) refers to the burning of books and burying of scholars under the Qin dynasty. It is often cited when talking about censorship.