热 (rè) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

热

rè[re4]Tone 4

hot

HSK 1

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熱

Guru Deep Dive

English · hot

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:10

Writing Balance Rule: The upper part is compact while the lower four dots (灬) spread evenly across the bottom base to anchor the character securely.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form (熱) features more complex brush strokes on top, which were streamlined in the simplified version while retaining the essential fire radical at the bottom.

1. Meaning

hot (of weather or temperature)

to warm upto heat upheatfervent / passionate

Adjective / VerbNeutral#temperature#weather#emotions#cooking

Sample Usage

今天很热。
jīn tiān hěn rè.
Today is very hot.
把牛奶热一下。
bǎ niú nǎi rè yī xià.
Heat up the milk a bit.

2. Sound

/[ʐɤ⁵¹]/Tone: 51

热

rère4

`(51)

=rè

Initial Consonant

Type: Voiced Retroflex Approximant

Sounds like: retroflex approximant sound resembling a mix of 'j' and 'r'

UnaspiratedRetroflex

Airflow Tactile Test: Voiced vibration in throat with curled tongue.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip curled back near the hard palate, voicing continuously without friction burst

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: -e rhymes with the 'uh' sound in 'but'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'uh'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops abruptly to the bottom, matching an emphatic English command like 'No!' or 'Stop!'.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse the retroflex initial 'r-' with an English 'r'; the Mandarin 'r' is produced with the tongue curled back near the hard palate with friction, not rolled or bunched up.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A swift, sharp chop downward with your hand, mirroring an exclamation point or a sudden drop from a high ledge.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 10 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The upper part is compact while the lower four dots (灬) spread evenly across the bottom base to anchor the character securely.

4. Components

Radical 灬 · Fire Base Radical (fire, heat, cooking)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 灬 (indicates fire and intense heat)

The character combines structure hinting at claws/clutching above and four fire dots (灬) at the bottom, creating the image of handling something burning or fiery hot.

丸 provides the upper shape and phonetic hint
灬 four dots representing fire at the bottom

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

7· Phonetic Root: 执 (zhí)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally depicted hands holding something over a fire, which over time evolved into the upper phonetic element and the four dots (灬) representing flames at the base.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from the physical act of roasting or heating over fire to generalized meanings of high temperature, weather warmth, and passionate enthusiasm.

The four dots at the bottom of 热 (灬) are historically a compressed form of the character for fire (火).

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine holding a hot round pill (丸) directly over four blazing campfires (灬) until it gets so scorching hot (热) that you have to drop it instantly!

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

丸(wán)

丸 means pill and lacks the four fire dots (灬) at the bottom that make it hot (热).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

今天天气非常[___]。

Clue: rè

Common Learner Pitfall

Pronouncing the initial 'r-' like an English 'r' instead of curling the tongue back into a retroflex position, or failing to drop the Tone 4 pitch sharply.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see the character 热 with the fire dots at the bottom, what temperature or state does it instantly evoke?

Production: How do you write and pronounce the character for 'hot' / 'to heat up' with Tone 4?

热rèhot

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