parch, dry up
燥 centers on dryness caused by heat: parching, drying up, or becoming arid. The idea is removing moisture through warmth or exposure.
燥 combines 火 (fire) with 喿, a component that likely contributes the sound and may relate to drying or noise. The fire radical reinforces the idea of heat-driven dryness.
Fire 火 on the left and the complex 喿 on the right: imagine a blazing fire under a cluster of trees (喿 resembles 木 repeated), parching the land until everything dries up.
For ソウ, picture the sun (ソウ sounds like 'so') beating down, drying a parched field: so -> ソウ, and the fire 火 makes it even drier.
dryness; aridity; drying (e.g. clothes); dehydration; desiccation
impatience; irritation; frustration; fretfulness
powdered egg; dried whole egg
drying agent; desiccant
powdered eggs; dehydrated eggs; dried eggs
freeze-dried powdered miso (usu. salty); instant miso
dry land
arid region
arid landforms
dry farming
dried cannabis
dry season; dry spell; dry period
drying room
rhinitis sicca anterior
drying time
seasoned lumber
dry fruit (e.g. nuts, legumes, follicles)
drying machine; dryer; desiccator
arid climate
dry cleaning