灼 (zhuó) is a Chinese character meaning “to burn”. It is written from 火 (fire) and 勺 (spoon; ladle), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to burn; scorching”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
火 + 勺
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 灼，炙也。从火勺聲
Memory aid
A ladle (勺) left sitting over the fire (火) until the metal glows. Both parts are really in this character: 灼 is heat that scorches and shines.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 灼热zhuó rèscorching hot; burning灼 = zhuó
- 灼伤zhuó shāngto burn; a burn injury灼 = zhuó
Go deeper
All readings
to burn; scorching
to burn; to scorch; burning hot; (of light) bright, brilliant
用火烧、烫；也形容明亮、鲜明。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 灼热zhuó rèscorching hot; burning灼 = zhuó
- 灼伤zhuó shāngto burn; a burn injury灼 = zhuó
Sound component
勺 family
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 灼 mean?
灼 (zhuó) means to burn; to scorch; burning hot; (of light) bright, brilliant.
How do you pronounce 灼?
It is pronounced zhuó.
What parts is 灼 made of?
火 (fire) and 勺 (spoon; ladle), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 灼，炙也。从火勺聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 灼 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 灼?
火. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 灼?
Common ones are 灼热 and 灼伤. The reading of 灼 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.