Translation guide
To cook with direct, intense heat from above or below, or to be very hot. In Japanese, the method depends on the heat source and cooking style.
To cook food using direct radiant heat, typically from above (as in an oven broiler) or below (as in a grill).
General verb for cooking with direct heat: grill, broil, bake, roast. Context clarifies the method.
魚を焼く。
I broil/grill fish.
肉をオーブンで焼く。
I broil meat in the oven.
Loanword from English 'grill'. Often used for broiling in an oven or on a grill pan.
チキンをグリルする。
I broil/grill chicken.
To toast or broil lightly over an open flame, often used for mochi, nori, or dried fish.
餅をあぶる。
I toast/broil mochi.
To feel or be subjected to intense heat, as in scorching weather or a feverish state.
Descriptive phrase meaning 'scorchingly hot', used for weather or a hot surface.
今日は焼けつくように暑い。
It's broiling hot today.
Noun phrase for oppressive, sweltering heat that makes you feel faint.
うだるような暑さだ。
It's broiling (sweltering) hot.
Literally 'have a fever'. Used when someone feels very hot due to illness, not for weather.
彼は熱があって、体が焼けるように熱い。
He has a fever and his body is broiling hot.
焼く is the most common and versatile. グリルする specifically implies using a grill or broiler, often with a Western cooking style. あぶる is for light toasting over a flame, not for thick cuts of meat.
ステーキを焼く / グリルする。
Broil/grill a steak.
海苔をあぶる。
Toast nori over a flame.
焼く is for cooking. To say 'it's broiling' (weather), use phrases like 焼けつくように暑い or うだるような暑さ.