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March 24, 2026
饪(飪)rèn(ren4)
饪 (rèn) refers to the process of cooking food until it is ready to eat. It emphasizes the completion of cooking, ensuring that food is well-prepared. This character is often used in contexts related to culinary practices and discussions about food preparation.
Strokes7Radical饣Frequency#2790DifficultyMedium
Cultural Note
In Chinese culture, the preparation of food is often seen as an important social activity, with an emphasis on cooking techniques and flavors. 饪 reflects this cultural value by highlighting the importance of well-cooked meals.
Memory Tip
Imagine a chef (the radical 饣 represents food) stirring a pot with a big smile, saying 'Rèn, rèn! Cook it until it’s just right!' The sound 'rèn' can remind you of 'run', as in running food through heat until it’s cooked.
Meanings of 饪
rèn(ren4)
1cooked food
2to cook (until ready)
Exercise 1 of 2
Listen & Choose the Meaning
Choose the correct answer:
About 饪
饪Simplified
飪Traditional
7Strokes
饣Radical
语素morpheme (morph.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank
Podcast: 饪
Podcast: 饪
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AI Study Notes for 饪
Quick Contrast
煮 (zhǔ) refers specifically to boiling or cooking food in water, while 饪 (rèn) emphasizes the overall process of cooking until food is ready to eat.
Usage Notes
Be careful not to confuse 饪 with similar characters. It is more commonly used in formal contexts compared to its variant 飪. Common collocations include 饪菜 (cooked dishes) and 饪食 (cooked food).
HSK Study Tips
While 饪 is not included in the HSK levels, it connects to food-related vocabulary that learners may encounter. Focus on recognizing this character in cooking contexts and associating it with other food-related terms.
Common Mistakes
Learners often confuse 饪 with its variant 飪, leading to incorrect usage. For example, saying '我今天想飪一个菜' (I want to cook a dish today) is incorrect; it should be '我今天想饪一个菜'.
AI-enhanced 2026-03-24
Pronunciation of 饪
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Phonosemantic compound. 饣 represents the meaning and 壬 represents the sound. Simplified form of 飪.
1The meaning half饣 carries the sense.
2The sound half壬 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
3The giveawayfood
4On the record aspictophonetic.
Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.
Want the full history of 饪? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.
Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1
Character Formation Type
What type of character formation is 饪?
Decomposition of 饪
IDS Structure⿰饣壬
饪Full Character
=
饣shi2
left
壬ren2
right
Exercise 1 of 2
Identify the Components
Which of these is a component of 饪?
How to say cooked food in Chinese
“cooked food” in Chinese is饪rèn
饪 (rèn) refers to the process of cooking food until it is ready to eat. It emphasizes the completion of cooking, ensuring that food is well-prepared. This character is often used in contexts related to culinary practices and discussions about food preparation.
When to use 饪
Be careful not to confuse 饪 with similar characters. It is more commonly used in formal contexts compared to its variant 飪. Common collocations include 饪菜 (cooked dishes) and 饪食 (cooked food).
饪 or something close to it
煮 (zhǔ) refers specifically to boiling or cooking food in water, while 饪 (rèn) emphasizes the overall process of cooking until food is ready to eat.
What learners get wrong
Learners often confuse 饪 with its variant 飪, leading to incorrect usage. For example, saying '我今天想飪一个菜' (I want to cook a dish today) is incorrect; it should be '我今天想饪一个菜'.
Write 饪
饪
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Practice writing 饪 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
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Grammar Patterns of 饪
饪 carries 3 distinct meanings. Below you'll find the patterns that show how it combines with other words, plus example sentences pulled directly from native usage.
Exercise 1 of 4
Complete the Sentence
烹____课既是一件严肃的事又是一种享受。
The cookery course was serious and hedonistic at the same time.
Example Sentences for 饪 (10)
Listen to all sentences once to receive XP
1
烹饪课既是一件严肃的事又是一种享受。
pēng rèn kè jì shì yī jiàn yán sù de shì yòu shì yī zhǒng xiǎng shòu。
The cookery course was serious and hedonistic at the same time.
