Translation guide
The English verb 'parch' describes making something extremely dry, often through heat. This guide covers how to express this concept naturally in Japanese, focusing on common verbs for drying, roasting, and becoming parched.
Expressing the action of making something dry, often through heat or sun, resulting in a hard, brittle state.
The most direct and common way to say 'to dry something out' or 'to desiccate'. Used for foods, soil, skin, etc.
干ばつが大地を乾燥させた。
The drought parched the earth.
The hot wind parches my skin.
Emphasizes making something completely dry and shriveled, often with a negative nuance.
太陽が川を干からびさせた。
The sun parched the river dry.
To dry something by hanging or spreading in the sun or air. Common for laundry, food, etc. Not always as intense as 'parch', but can be used for drying foods until hard.
柿を干して干し柿を作る。
We dry persimmons to make dried persimmons (a parched-like texture).
Specifically for cooking methods that dry out food using dry heat, like roasting nuts or toasting bread.
To roast or parch in a pan without oil, often used for nuts, seeds, or tea leaves. Implies drying and browning.
ゴマを炒って香りを出す。
Parch the sesame seeds to bring out the flavor.
豆を炒る。
Parch beans.
To roast over a fire or heat, often used for coffee beans, tea, or fish. Similar to '炒る' but can imply a stronger fire or more thorough roasting.
To dry-roast without oil, emphasizing the drying aspect. Often used in recipes.
クミンシードを乾煎りする。
Dry-parch cumin seeds.
Describing the state of becoming extremely dry, often due to heat or lack of water.
To become dry; the intransitive counterpart of 乾燥させる. Used for skin, air, soil, etc.
冬は肌が乾燥しやすい。
In winter, my skin tends to get parched.
To become completely dried up and shriveled. Often used for plants, food, or bodies of water.
日照りで田んぼが干からびた。
The rice paddies parched in the drought.
To dry up completely, especially for bodies of water or wet surfaces. Emphasizes the result of being left without water.
Expressing the sensation of extreme thirst, often described as a 'parched throat' in English.
The most common way to say 'my throat is parched'. カラカラ is an onomatopoeia for extreme dryness.
喉がカラカラで、水が飲みたい。
My throat is parched; I want some water.
Literally 'throat becomes dry', the standard way to say 'I'm thirsty'. Less intense than 'parched', but can be emphasized with adverbs.
喉がすごく渇いた。
My throat is really parched.
A dramatic expression meaning 'my throat feels like it's going to dry up completely'.
この暑さで喉が干上がりそうだ。
This heat is making my throat feel parched.
There is no single Japanese verb that covers all uses of 'parch'. Instead, choose the appropriate verb based on what is being dried and how. Using 乾燥させる is the safest general option for transitive 'parch'.
炒る (iru) is the most common for dry-roasting in a pan. 焙る (aburu) implies roasting over a fire or direct heat, often for coffee or tea. 乾煎りする (kariiri suru) is a technical cooking term for dry-roasting without oil, emphasizing the drying effect.
Parch coffee beans.
池が干上がった。
The pond parched up.