やかん

や

か

ん

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

noun

kettle

usually written using kana alone

A metal pot with a spout and handle, used for boiling water. Common in Japanese kitchens.

やかんでお湯ゆを沸わかしてください。
Please boil water in the kettle.
やかんがピーッと鳴なったら火ひを止とめて。
Turn off the heat when the kettle whistles.

noun

bald head

usually written using kana alonecolloquialabbreviation

Colloquial abbreviation of やかん頭 (やかんあたま), likening a shiny bald head to a kettle. Playful or mildly teasing.

Usage patterns

薬缶やかんでお湯ゆを沸わかすto boil water using a kettle
薬や缶かんでお湯ゆを沸わかしてお茶を入いれた。
I boiled water in the kettle and made tea.
薬缶やかんに〈物もの〉〉を入いれるto put something (e.g. water) into the kettle
薬や缶かんに水みずを入いれてから火ひにかけた。
I put water in the kettle and then put it on the stove.
薬缶やかんが沸わくfor the kettle to come to a boil (often whistling)
薬や缶かんが沸わいて、ピーッと音おとが鳴なった。
The kettle boiled and let out a whistling sound.

Expressions

やかんをかけるput a kettle on (the stove)

Kanji

薬medicine, chemical, enamel
缶tin can, container, jar radical (no. 121)
罐steam boiler (left side only)
鑵steam boiler

Related words

ポットN1sense 1
やかん is a stovetop kettle for boiling water, while ポット usually refers to a thermos or electric pot that keeps water hot.
ケトル sense 1
ケトル is the modern loanword often used for sleek electric or designer kettles, whereas やかん evokes the traditional metal stovetop kettle.

Don't confuse with

急きゅう須す sense 1
やかん is used to boil water itself, while 急須 is the small teapot used to steep and pour tea from already-boiled water.

Counted with

個こN5
For a kettle, 個 is the natural default counter among the allowed options; more specific counter words are not in the inventory.

Written forms

やかんUsage58%
Standard kana spelling; usually written in kana.
ヤカンUsage26%
薬や缶かんUsage10%
Ateji kanji form; rarely used in modern writing. The word is almost always written in kana.
薬や罐かんUsage5%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form using the traditional character 罐.
薬や鑵かんUsage1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form using the variant character 鑵.

Etymology

The word やかん is of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a Chinese term for a metal pot. The kanji 薬缶 are ateji (characters used for their sounds rather than meanings).