Translation guide
The English verb 'burn' covers many meanings, from fire damage to sunburn, fuel consumption, and even emotional states. Japanese uses different verbs depending on what is burning and how.
Something is actively burning or being destroyed by fire.
Intransitive verb for something burning or being flammable. Use for objects, buildings, etc.
Transitive verb for burning something intentionally or causing it to burn.
Intransitive verb for being burned, scorched, or heated by fire or sun. Often for food or skin.
Transitive verb for burning, grilling, baking, or toasting something.
Skin becomes red and painful from too much sun.
A stinging or hot feeling on the skin or in the body.
Mimetic word for a sharp, stinging pain like from a burn or chafing.
The wound stings/burns.
Burning fuel, calories, or energy.
Transitive verb for burning fuel or calories.
Burning with desire, anger, or enthusiasm.
Intransitive verb used metaphorically for passion or fighting spirit.
Food becomes blackened from too much heat.
Intransitive verb for food getting burnt or scorched.
A sensation of heat not from actual fire.
Also used for the burning sensation from spicy food or a sore throat.
This curry burns my mouth.
Write data onto a disc.
Colloquial term for burning a disc, same verb as for grilling.
He burned the letters.
The bread is baked/burned.
I grill fish.
Descriptive phrase meaning 'painful like burning'.
My throat burns.
Burn calories through exercise.
Cars burn gasoline.
General verb for consuming energy or resources. More formal.
Consume/burn energy.
He is burning with ambition.
To blaze up, used for intense emotions like anger or passion.
Anger flared up.
The toast burned.
Transitive verb for burning food while cooking.
I burned the steak.
CDを焼く。
Burn a CD.
More technical term for writing data.
Burn data to a DVD.
The bread bakes/burns.
While 燃える can be used metaphorically for passion, directly translating 'I'm burning with anger' as 怒りで燃えている is acceptable but somewhat literary. In casual speech, 怒っている (I'm angry) or 頭に来ている (I'm pissed) is more natural.
I'm burning with anger. (natural casual)