HanziGuru.烫 · tàng
烫
tàng[tang4]Tone 4

scalding hot, to burn, to iron

HSK 7
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燙
Guru Deep Dive

English · scalding hot, to burn, to iron

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Topology:Top-bottom
Strokes:15
Writing Balance Rule: The top water component (氵) sits compactly at the top left, while the middle part acts as a bridge, and the bottom fire component (灬) spreads wide to steady the entire character.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 燙 features 湯 in the middle with a fire radical (灬) underneath. The simplified form keeps the water radical dots on top, but simplifies the middle-lower structure for streamlined writing.
1. Meaning

to scald, to burn (by hot water or steam)

to blanch food in boiling waterto heat something up in hot waterto give hair a permanent wave (perm)to iron clothesscalding hot, burning hot
Verb, AdjectiveNeutral#temperature#cooking#grooming#household tasks#physical sensation
Sample Usage
  • 小心，水很烫。
    xiǎoxīn, shuǐ hěn tàng.
    Be careful, the water is scalding hot.
  • 我想去理发店烫头发。
    wǒ xiǎng qù lǐfàdiàn tàng tóufa.
    I want to go to the hair salon to get a perm.
2. Sound
/[tʰɑŋ˥˩]/Tone: 51
烫
tàngtang4
++
`(51)
=tàng
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
tang
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "a" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
t
Type: Aspirated Alveolar
Sounds like: t sound as in English 'top'
Aspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Explosive puff of breath! Tissue held before mouth MUST flutter.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip firmly pressed against the alveolar ridge behind the upper teeth, releasing a strong puff of air.
Final Rhyme
ang
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: -ang rhymes with 'ah' followed by ng
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ahng'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T4 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply to the bottom, identical to an emphatic English command like 'No!' or 'Stop!'.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the 4th tone (tàng) with the 1st tone (tāng - soup/to scald) or 2nd tone (táng - sugar). Make sure the pitch starts high and plunges decisively downward.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A decisive, sharp karate chop downward from high in the air to the floor, matching the sudden, angry drop of Tone 4.
3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 15 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top water component (氵) sits compactly at the top left, while the middle part acts as a bridge, and the bottom fire component (灬) spreads wide to steady the entire character.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 燙 features 湯 in the middle with a fire radical (灬) underneath. The simplified form keeps the water radical dots on top, but simplifies the middle-lower structure for streamlined writing.

4. Components

Radical 灬 · Fire Radical (Four Dots) (fire, heat, burning)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 灬 (indicates fire, heat, and scalding temperature)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 汤 (original sound: tāng)

Water (氵) is heated over boiling water (汤) resting on top of an open fire (灬), creating intense heat that will scald anything it touches.

  • 氵 water element
  • 汤 hot broth / soup phonetic and semantic clue
  • 灬 fire / heat dots at the bottom
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from water/broth elements and fire to depict boiling liquid that causes burns or extreme heat.

Semantic Evolution: Originally meaning to scald or burn with boiling liquid, it expanded over time to describe ironing clothes with heated irons and styling hair with heated curling tools (perming).

  • The bottom component (灬) is the historical variant of 火 (fire), typically placed at the bottom of Chinese characters.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: トウ (tō) / Kun: 火傷する, あつい
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

You pour boiling soup (汤) over water (氵) sitting directly on top of a roaring fire (灬), making it so SCALDING HOT (tàng) that it burns your tongue instantly!

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
汤
tāngsoupPhonetic Core (声旁)
铴
+ 钅 (metal)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
汤(tāng)
汤 means 'soup' (no fire at the bottom); 烫 means 'scalding hot' (has the fire dots at the bottom).
躺(tǎng)
躺 has the body/person radical (身) on the left because it means 'to lie down'.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
刚煮好的咖啡很[___]，请小心喝。
Clue: tàng
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 烫 (tàng - hot/scald, 4th tone) with 汤 (tāng - soup, 1st tone), or forgetting to write the fire dots (灬) at the bottom.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 烫, what two primary actions or states come to mind?
Production: How do you write the character for 'scalding hot / to iron' (tàng) using water, soup, and fire elements?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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