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.
パンが焼けた。
The bread is baked/burned.
Transitive verb for burning, grilling, baking, or toasting something.
魚を焼く。
I grill fish.
Skin becomes red and painful from too much sun.
A stinging or hot feeling on the skin or in the body.
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.
このカレーは口がひりひりする。
This curry burns my mouth.
Write data onto a disc.
Colloquial term for burning a disc, same verb as for grilling.
燃える (moeru) is for something actively on fire or flammable. 焼ける (yakeru) is for being heated, scorched, or cooked by fire or sun. A house burns down with 燃える, but bread bakes/burns with 焼ける.
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.
頭に来ている。
I'm burning with anger. (natural casual)
He burned the letters.
Noun meaning sunburn or suntan.
ひどい日焼けだね。
That's a bad sunburn.
My throat burns.
運動でカロリーを燃やす。
Burn calories through exercise.
車がガソリンを燃やす。
Cars burn gasoline.
General verb for consuming energy or resources. More formal.
エネルギーを消費する。
Consume/burn energy.
彼は野望に燃えている。
He is burning with ambition.
To blaze up, used for intense emotions like anger or passion.
怒りが燃え上がった。
Anger flared up.
トーストが焦げた。
The toast burned.
Transitive verb for burning food while cooking.
ステーキを焦がしてしまった。
I burned the steak.
CDを焼く。
Burn a CD.
More technical term for writing data.
データをDVDに書き込む。
Burn data to a DVD.