熱 / 热
rè
In Chinese, the English word "hot" can be expressed in several ways. The default form is 熱 / 热 (rè). Wiktionary also lists 燙 / 烫 (tàng).
Meaning: having a high temperature (adj)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 熱 / 热 | rè | |
| 燙 / 烫 | tàng | |
| 熱 / 热 | joa̍h, loa̍h | Hokkien |
| 燒 / 烧 | sio | Hokkien |
In Hokkien, 熱 / 热 is the general term for hot, covering both the weather and food. To describe a "hot topic" (a popular subject), you would use 热门话题. To express the concept of a "hot potato" (a difficult problem), the Chinese expression is 棘手的问题.
Which one should you use?
In Hokkien, there is a distinction between general heat and heat that is painful. While 熱 / 热 (joa̍h, loa̍h) is used generally for the weather or food, 燙 / 烫 (tàng) is used specifically for objects that are painfully hot to the touch, such as a hot cup or a hot plate.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwan, the phrase 热翻天 is used to mean hot to the extreme.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation for 熱 / 热 is rè.
Did you know?
- While English uses 'hot' for both a spicy pepper and a high temperature, Chinese uses different words to distinguish between 'heat' and 'spiciness'.
- The word 熱 is an ancient linguistic relative of the Burmese word nwe:, which also means 'warm' or 'lukewarm'.
- In the character 熱, the bottom component 灬 is a specialized radical that specifically represents 'fire'.
Examples in context
- 北京的夏天非常炎热潮湿。The summer in Beijing is very hot and humid.
- 这座城市正在经历一次酷热，气温超过摄氏40度。The city is experiencing a heatwave with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celsius.
- 这碗汤很热。The soup is really hot.
- 小心，盘子很烫。Be careful, the plate is hot.
- 哇，今天真是热翻天了！Wow, it's scorching hot today!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hot” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 熱, 燒, 燙, CC BY-SA 4.0.
