くべる

く

べ

る

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

ichidan verb, transitive verb

put into the fire; throw on the fire; add to the fire

usually written using kana alone

Used for adding fuel such as wood, coal, or paper to an existing fire. Often implies feeding a fire to keep it going.

ストーブに薪まきをくべる。
I put firewood into the stove.
彼かれは手て紙がみを暖だん炉ろにくべて燃もやし

た

。

He threw the letters into the fireplace and burned them.

Written forms

くべるUsage98%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 焼べる and 焚べる are rare.
焼くべるUsage1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; the character 焼 means 'burn' or 'roast'.
焚くべるUsage1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; the character 焚 means 'burn' or 'kindle'.

Kanji

焼bake, burning
焚burn, kindle, build a fire

Similar words

燃もやす
燃やす means 'to burn something' (transitive), focusing on the act of burning itself. くべる specifically means putting fuel into a fire, often with the nuance of feeding an existing flame.
焚たく
焚く means 'to burn' or 'to kindle' (e.g., 火を焚く). くべる is more about adding material to a fire rather than starting or maintaining the fire itself.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. It may be related to the verb くべる meaning 'to compare' or 'to arrange', but the connection is unclear. The kanji 焼 and 焚 are semantic matches for the burning meaning.