燃 rán — burn; combustion
篝火熊熊地燃烧着。Gōu huǒ xióng xióng de rán shāo zhe.The bonfire is blazing fiercely.
Common words: 燃烧 (rán shāo)、燃料 (rán liào)、点燃 (diǎn rán)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "burn"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "burn", including 燃 (rán), 焚 (fén). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "burn" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 燃 (rán), 焚 (fén) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span rán, fén — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 燃 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 燃 ránburn; combustionUseful words: 燃烧, 燃料
- 焚 fénburnUseful words: 焚烧, 心急如焚
Common words for these 2 "burn" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 燃 (rán) — so "burn" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "burn".
焚 fén — burn
“玩火自焚”告诉我们不要做危险的事。“Wán huǒ zì fén” gào su wǒ men bú yào zuò wēi xiǎn de shì.The phrase playing with fire burns oneself tells us not to do dangerous things.
Common words: 焚烧 (fén shāo)、心急如焚 (xīn jí rú fén)、自焚 (zì fén)
All 2 characters
Open 燃、焚 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.