Translation guide
To lightly burn the surface or edges of something, often hair, fabric, or food. Japanese uses different verbs depending on what is being singed and how.
To burn something superficially, often accidentally, such as hair, fur, or fabric.
General verb for scorching or singeing something. Can be used for hair, fabric, food, etc. Transitive.
I accidentally singed my shirt with the iron.
Intransitive counterpart of 焦がす. Describes the state of being singed or scorched.
My hair got singed by the heater.
Means 'to burn' or 'to grill'. Can imply singeing when used with hair or feathers, but often suggests more thorough burning. Context-dependent.
Singe the chicken feathers.
To lightly burn the ends of hair for styling or treatment purposes.
To pass food over a flame to burn off fine hairs or feathers.
To pass fabric over a flame to remove protruding fibers.
焦がす (kogasu) implies accidental or superficial burning, often with a negative nuance. 焼く (yaku) is a general term for burning, grilling, or roasting, and can be used for deliberate singeing. あぶる (aburu) specifically means to hold something over a flame to lightly burn or toast, often used in cooking.
There is no single Japanese verb that exactly matches 'singe' in all contexts. Choose the verb based on the object and intention. Using 焦がす for deliberate singeing in cooking may sound odd; prefer あぶる or 焼く.
Singe the ends of the hair.
Singe the hair off the pig's trotters.
Singe the fabric to remove fuzz.