Translation guide
How to express 'scald' in Japanese, covering burns from hot liquids or steam, and the action of scalding in cooking or cleaning.
Describing an injury caused by hot water, steam, or other hot liquids.
General term for burn, including scalds. Often used with する to mean 'to get burned/scalded'.
I scalded myself with hot water.
Be careful not to get scalded.
Medical term for burn, including scalds. Used in formal or clinical contexts.
Treatment for burns takes time.
Specifically refers to a scald or blister from hot water. Less common in everyday speech.
I got a scald from the hot bath.
The action of hot liquid or steam causing a burn.
The most common way to say 'to get scalded'. Literally 'to do a burn'.
I scalded my tongue on the coffee.
I almost scalded my hand with the steam.
Literally 'to pour boiling water on', often implying scalding as a result. Can be intentional or accidental.
Verb form of やけど, meaning 'to get burned/scalded'. Same as やけどをする but slightly more direct.
Heating a liquid, especially milk, to just below boiling point.
Means 'to bring to a boil'. Often used when scalding milk, though it implies reaching boiling point.
Don't let the milk boil.
Literally 'to heat until just before boiling'. More precise for scalding without boiling.
To bring to a boil, often used in cooking. Can imply scalding.
Pouring boiling water over something to clean, sterilize, or prepare it.
To pour boiling water over something. Used for cleaning, sterilizing, or blanching.
Scald the cutting board with boiling water to sterilize it.
Scald the tomatoes to peel them.
To blanch or parboil briefly in hot water. Common in cooking.
To boil for sterilization. More formal and thorough than just pouring hot water.
Sterilize baby bottles by boiling.
While やけど covers both burns and scalds, if you need to specify the cause, use phrases like 熱湯でやけど (scalded by boiling water) or 蒸気でやけど (scalded by steam). For dry heat burns, 火傷 (やけど) is still used, but context usually makes it clear.
Japanese does not have a distinct everyday word for 'scald' versus 'burn'. やけど is the general term. In medical contexts, 熱傷 (ねっしょう) is used for all thermal injuries. To be specific, describe the cause: 熱湯 (hot water), 蒸気 (steam), etc.
Be careful not to scald yourself.
She scalded her hand with boiling water.
Scald the milk before using it.
I accidentally poured boiling water on my hand and scalded it.
I scalded the inside of my mouth with hot soup.
Heat the milk until just before boiling.
Be careful not to let the sauce boil.
Blanch the vegetables before stir-frying.