Japanese kanji 蒸: steaming, humidity and vapour

The idea

蒸 has 13 strokes; use the linked diagram for their order. 蒸す（むす） means to steam food, 蒸れる（むれる） describes heat and moisture trapped inside, and 蒸気（じょうき） means steam or vapour.

Examples

• 蒸むし器きで野菜やさいを蒸むします。I steam vegetables in a steamer.
• やかんから蒸気じょうきが上あがっています。Steam is rising from the kettle.
• 夏なつは靴くつの中なかが蒸むれます。My shoes get hot and damp in summer.
• 蒸むしたじゃがいもは柔やわらかいです。The steamed potatoes are soft.
• 雨あめの日ひはこの部屋へやが蒸むし暑あついです。This room feels muggy on rainy days.
• 蒸気機関じょうききかんは蒸気じょうきで動うごきます。The steam engine runs on steam.

Watch out

蒸す and 蒸れる are different verbs: the first can take food as its object, while the second describes something becoming hot and damp. 蒸気 names the vapour itself.

Try it yourself

1. Write the reading of 蒸す in hiragana.

   Show answer or example answer

   むす

   蒸す is むす; the sentence describes steaming vegetables. Keep the final す when writing the reading.

2. Write the reading of 蒸気 in hiragana.

   Show answer or example answer

   じょうき

   蒸気 is じょうき, with a long vowel in じょう. It names the steam rising from the kettle.

3. Choose the missing kanji: ＿れる（むれる）［蒸／焼］.

   Show answer or example answer

   蒸

   蒸 completes 蒸れる, read むれる: shoes become hot and damp inside.

Use it today

Write 蒸 following the stroke diagram. Cover the table, read 蒸す and 蒸気, then make a sentence about cooking or humidity.