to boil, to fry, to roast, to sauté; to trade stock
HSK 5, v, 8 strokes, radical 火, rank #1810, Hard
chǎo(chao3)chao T3
1to sauté
2to stir-fry
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026
炒chǎo(chao3)
The character 炒 (chǎo) primarily means 'to sauté' or 'to stir-fry', a common cooking method in Chinese cuisine that involves quickly frying food in a small amount of hot oil. Additionally, it can refer to speculative trading in finance or the act of hyping something up, reflecting its versatility in both culinary and economic contexts.
Strokes8Radical火Frequency#1810DifficultyHard
Cultural Note
Stir-frying is a hallmark of Chinese cuisine, exemplifying the importance of quick cooking methods that preserve the color, flavor, and nutritional value of ingredients. 炒 reflects both everyday cooking practices and the fast-paced nature of modern Chinese dining.
Memory Tip
Imagine a chef 'chao'-ing up a storm in the kitchen, tossing vegetables in a hot wok. The character 炒 combines 火 (fire) and the phonetic component 吵, evoking the image of sizzling heat and lively noise as food is stir-fried.
Meanings of 炒
chǎo(chao3)
1to sauté
2to stir-fry
Exercise 1 of 2
By ear
Play it, then pick what 炒 means.
About 炒
炒Simplified
8Strokes
火Radical
动词dòngcíverb (v.)Part of Speech
#1810Frequency Rank
HSK 2.0L5HSK 3.0L5IntermediateTOCFLL5HSKKL3CEFRC1
Podcast: 炒
Podcast: 炒
Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you
New here?
AI Study Notes for 炒
Quick Contrast
炒 (chǎo) vs 煎 (jiān): use 炒 when referring to sautéing or stir-frying, while 煎 specifically means 'to pan-fry'.
Usage Notes
Be careful not to confuse 炒 with other cooking methods like 煮 (zhǔ, to boil) or 烤 (kǎo, to roast). In informal contexts, it can also imply talking up an investment or project, so use it in both culinary and financial discussions appropriately.
HSK Study Tips
As an HSK Level 5 word, 炒 connects with other cooking verbs and financial terminology. Students should focus on its various meanings and practice using it in different contexts to enhance vocabulary retention.
Common Mistakes
Learners often confuse 炒 with 煮 (zhǔ, to boil) when discussing cooking methods. For instance, saying '我炒水' (wǒ chǎo shuǐ, 'I stir-fry water') is incorrect; the correct expression would be '我煮水' (wǒ zhǔ shuǐ, 'I boil water').
AI-enhanced 2026-03-24
Pronunciation of 炒
Premium — Locked
AI tone practice
Pro
Drill the tone of 炒 with AI-powered exercises, get instant feedback, and earn XP toward mastery. Interactive tone practice is part of Pro.
Jason looks at what you watch and listen to, the checkpoints you have cleared, our lessons and what you have been exploring, and explains 炒 through them.
Sign in free to make it personal. New accounts start with 300 AI credits.
How Well Do You Know 炒?
Example
Learning Lab
Knowing 炒 is seven skills, not one.
Its meaning, its character, its pinyin, its tone — hearing it, saying it, writing it. The Learning Lab measures each one from your own practice, on every word you study, so you see what you actually know rather than how much you have done.
炒 = 火 + 少. What kind of character does that make it?
Decomposition of 炒
IDS Structure⿰火少
炒Full Character
=
火Huo3
left
少shao3
right
Exercise 1 of 2
Parts
Which of these is part of 炒?
How to say to sauté in Chinese
“to sauté” in Chinese is炒chǎo
The character 炒 (chǎo) primarily means 'to sauté' or 'to stir-fry', a common cooking method in Chinese cuisine that involves quickly frying food in a small amount of hot oil. Additionally, it can refer to speculative trading in finance or the act of hyping something up, reflecting its versatility in both culinary and economic contexts.
When to use 炒
Be careful not to confuse 炒 with other cooking methods like 煮 (zhǔ, to boil) or 烤 (kǎo, to roast). In informal contexts, it can also imply talking up an investment or project, so use it in both culinary and financial discussions appropriately.
炒 or something close to it
炒 (chǎo) vs 煎 (jiān): use 炒 when referring to sautéing or stir-frying, while 煎 specifically means 'to pan-fry'.
What learners get wrong
Learners often confuse 炒 with 煮 (zhǔ, to boil) when discussing cooking methods. For instance, saying '我炒水' (wǒ chǎo shuǐ, 'I stir-fry water') is incorrect; the correct expression would be '我煮水' (wǒ zhǔ shuǐ, 'I boil water').
Write 炒
炒
New here? to save your writing progress and earn XP.
Practice writing 炒 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
Write correctly 3 times to earn XP
Grammar Patterns of 炒
炒 functions as a verb — the action or state of the sentence. The Chinese order is Subject + Verb + Object (我吃饭). Negate it with 不 (habitual / future) or 没(有) (completed action). Add aspect markers like 了, 过, 着 directly after the verb. It carries 6 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The patterns below break down its most common sentence frames, with example sentences and practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) for each one.
是…的 emphasis是 + [V] + 的
HSK 3
This pattern is used to emphasize the action taken, often to clarify or highlight a specific aspect of the action.
❝
这道菜是炒的。
Zhè dào cài shì chǎo de.
This dish is stir-fried.
Exercise 1 of 1
Build it
Put the words in order to say “This dish is stir-fried.”.
Tap tokens to build the sentence
Usage Notes for 炒
Mixing cooking methodsCommon Error
Learners often confuse '炒' with other cooking methods like '煮' (to boil) or '蒸' (to steam).
1
不要将蔬菜炒成汤。
Don't turn the vegetables into soup by stir-frying them.
Exercise 1 of 1
Get it right
Type the missing word. Pinyin works; then pick the character.
不要将蔬菜____成汤。
Don't turn the vegetables into soup by stir-frying them.
