熬 áo · āo

HSK 7–9Character2 readings

to cook on a slow fire; to extract by heating; to decoct

Radical: 灬
Strokes: 14
Structure: Top–bottom
Parts: 敖灬
Traditional: 熬
Frequency: #2456 most common character

Practice writing

Readings and meanings

áoMain reading āoRare reading

áo

ao2Main readingHSK 7–9

to cook on a slow fire; to extract by heating; to decoct CC-CEDICT
to endure CC-CEDICT

Words that use “熬” as áo

熬夜áo yèto stay awake very late at night instead of sleepingWordHSK 7–9 煎熬jiān áoto sufferWord 熬煎áo jiānsufferingWord 熬稃áo fū(old) popped glutinous riceWord 熬膏áo gāoto simmer to a pasteWord 熬药áo yàoto decoct medicinal herbsWord 苦熬kǔ áoto endureWord 难熬nán áo(of pain or hardship) hard to bearWord

āo

ao1Reading 2Rare reading

This reading is uncommon in everyday Chinese; the main reading is áo.

to cook something slowly in water for a long time, like soup

Examples

妈妈在家熬汤。
mā ma zài jiā āo tāng
Mom is making soup at home.
AI-generated sentence
这个汤要熬两个小时。
zhè ge tāng yào āo liǎng gè xiǎo shí
You need to cook this soup for two hours.
AI-generated sentence

Stroke order

Practice writing 熬

Draw “熬” here — the faint guide shows its shape.

See all 13 words with 熬 →

Same radical 灬

All characters with 灬 →

為wèi 点diǎn 無wú 然rán 照zhào 热rè 熱rè 烏wū 烈liè 熟shú 熊xióng 熙xī

熬

Character