烧 (shāo) is a Chinese character meaning “to burn”. It is written from 火 (fire) and 尧 (Yao (legendary sage emperor); lofty, towering), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to burn”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
火 + 尧
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：燒，爇也。从火堯聲。Modern glyph split checked stroke by stroke against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 (strokes 0–3 = 火, strokes 4–9 = 尧; 4+6=10).
Memory aid
Fire (火) on the left, and on the right 尧, someone standing up high. Flames climbing as high as a standing person — that is 烧, to burn.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 发烧fā shāoto have a fever烧 = shāo
- 燃烧rán shāoto burn; combustion烧 = shāo
- 焚烧fén shāoto burn; to incinerate烧 = shāo
Go deeper
All readings
to burn; to cook; fever
to burn; to set on fire; to heat or cook (e.g. boil water, roast); to have a fever
使东西着火；用火加热或做饭，如烧水、烧菜；也指发烧。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 发烧fā shāoto have a fever烧 = shāo
- 燃烧rán shāoto burn; combustion烧 = shāo
- 焚烧fén shāoto burn; to incinerate烧 = shāo
Sound component
尧 family rime near
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 烧 mean?
烧 (shāo) means to burn; to set on fire; to heat or cook (e.g. boil water, roast); to have a fever.
How do you pronounce 烧?
It is pronounced shāo.
What parts is 烧 made of?
火 (fire) and 尧 (Yao (legendary sage emperor); lofty, towering), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：燒，爇也。从火堯聲。Modern glyph split checked stroke by stroke against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 (strokes 0–3 = 火, strokes 4–9 = 尧; 4+6=10).. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 烧 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 烧?
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 烧?
Common ones are 发烧 and 燃烧. The reading of 烧 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.