煮 meaning and stroke order
To cook; to boil
How to write 煮, 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 煮
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to cook
- to boil
- variant of 煮[zhu3]
How 煮 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Fire.
灬 gives the meaning and 者 hints at the sound.
Radical: 灬 (fire), shared by 28 characters on this site.
How to remember 煮
The top part 者 (zhě) gives the sound, and the four dots 灬 at the bottom are fire. Picture a pot sitting over flames: something is being boiled over fire.
煮 (zhǔ) means to cook something in water, like boiling noodles, eggs, dumplings, or rice. It is a very everyday verb in the kitchen. Example: 我在煮面条。(Wǒ zài zhǔ miàntiáo.) I am cooking noodles.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 着 (zhe) or 都 (dōu) because the top looks similar, but 煮 always has the four fire dots 灬 underneath 者. Also, 熟 in 煮熟 is often pronounced shú in standard speech, so do not be surprised to hear zhǔshú.
Common words with 煮
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
煮 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 煮
How many strokes are in 煮?
煮 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 煮 mean?
煮 (zhǔ) means to cook; to boil. A common word with it is 煮饭 (zhǔfàn), meaning "to cook".
How do you pronounce 煮?
煮 is pronounced zhǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 煮?
The radical of 煮 is 灬, which carries the idea of "fire". Dictionaries list 煮 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 煮?
The traditional form of 煮 is 煑. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 煮 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 煮 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 煮 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 煮 and 做饭?
煮 (zhǔ) specifically means cooking in boiling water. 做饭 (zuòfàn) is the general phrase for cooking a meal by any method, such as frying or steaming.
Can 煮 be used for boiling plain water?
Yes, 煮水 (zhǔ shuǐ) is understood, but people more often say 烧水 (shāo shuǐ) or 开水 (kāishuǐ) for boiled water. 煮 is more natural when there is food in the water.