やかん

や

か

ん

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

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.

2

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.

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.

Kanji

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

Similar words

ポット
ポット is a more general term for a pot or container, often used for teapots or coffee pots, while やかん specifically refers to a kettle for boiling water.
やかん頭あたま
やかん頭 is the full phrase for 'bald head', literally 'kettle head'. やかん is the abbreviated colloquial form.

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).

steam boiler