How to say “hot” in Chinese
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Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
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Tone tip
The 'r' is the hard part: curl the tongue tip back, let the sound buzz slightly, then drop the pitch sharply. 热 is for weather, water and food temperature; spicy-hot is 辣 (là), and a scalding-hot dish is 烫 (tàng).
In a sentence
Jīntiān tài rè le!
It's too hot today!
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "hot" in Chinese?+
"hot" in Mandarin Chinese is 热, pronounced rè. The 'r' is the hard part: curl the tongue tip back, let the sound buzz slightly, then drop the pitch sharply. 热 is for weather, water and food temperature; spicy-hot is 辣 (là), and a scalding-hot dish is 烫 (tàng).
What does 热 mean literally?+
热 breaks down as 热 (rè) = hot (temperature). Together it means "hot".
How do I get the tones right in rè?+
The 'r' is the hard part: curl the tongue tip back, let the sound buzz slightly, then drop the pitch sharply. 热 is for weather, water and food temperature; spicy-hot is 辣 (là), and a scalding-hot dish is 烫 (tàng).
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