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'.
熱いお湯でやけどをした。
I scalded myself with hot water.
やけどに気をつけてください。
Be careful not to get scalded.
Medical term for burn, including scalds. Used in formal or clinical contexts.
熱傷の治療には時間がかかる。
Treatment for burns takes time.
Specifically refers to a scald or blister from hot water. Less common in everyday speech.
熱い風呂で湯ただれになった。
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'.
コーヒーで舌をやけどした。
I scalded my tongue on the coffee.
蒸気で手をやけどしそうになった。
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.
うっかり手に熱湯をかけてしまった。
I accidentally poured boiling water on my hand and scalded it.
Verb form of やけど, meaning 'to get burned/scalded'. Same as やけどをする but slightly more direct.
熱いスープで口の中を火傷した。
I scalded the inside of my mouth with hot soup.
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.
ミルクを沸騰させないでください。
Don't let the milk boil.
Literally 'to heat until just before boiling'. More precise for scalding without boiling.
牛乳を沸騰直前まで温めてください。
Heat the milk until just before boiling.
To bring to a boil, often used in cooking. Can imply scalding.
ソースを煮立たせないように注意する。
Be careful not to let the sauce boil.
Pouring boiling water over something to clean, sterilize, or prepare it.
To pour boiling water over something. Used for cleaning, sterilizing, or blanching.
まな板に熱湯をかけて消毒する。
Scald the cutting board with boiling water to sterilize it.
トマトに熱湯をかけて皮をむく。
Scald the tomatoes to peel them.
To blanch or parboil briefly in hot water. Common in cooking.
野菜を湯通ししてから炒める。
Blanch the vegetables before stir-frying.
To boil for sterilization. More formal and thorough than just pouring hot water.
哺乳瓶を煮沸消毒する。
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.
やけどしないように気をつけて。
Be careful not to scald yourself.
彼女は熱湯で手をやけどした。
She scalded her hand with boiling water.
牛乳を使う前に沸騰直前まで温めてください。
Scald the milk before using it.