焚く

From Old Japanese. Appears since at least the Man'yōshū (759).^[1] Speculatively associated with Korean 타다 (tada), but this poses issues.^[2]

(to cook on a fire): The sense initially described cooking rice grains, which were also used by 煮る (niru) and 炊ぐ (kashigu); by Early Modern Japanese it was used to describe cooking/boiling food in general. Such usage of cooking both rice and vegetables is most notable in the Kansai dialects, while the Tohoku dialects continue to use 煮る (niru) for cooking both rice and vegetables.

焚(た)く • (taku) transitive godan (stem 焚(た)き (taki), past 焚(た)いた (taita))

1. [from 759] to burn/light a fire; to throw into a fire

   Synonym: くべる (kuberu, “to throw into a fire”)

2. [from 794] to smoke
3. [from 1480] 炊く: to cook food through a fire; to boil; to heat water

   Synonyms: 煮る (niru), 炊ぐ (kashigu)

   • 1603, Vocabvlario da Lingoa de Iapam (Nippo Jisho) [Vocabulary of the Language of Japan] (in Portuguese), Nagasaki:

     Taqi, u, aita. Fazer fogo com lenha, ou palba. Vt, Xiuouo taqu. Fazer ſal ¶ Furouo taqu. Fazer fogo nos banhos, ou aquentar agoa dos banhos. ¶ Cǒuo taqu. Queimar cheiros.

     Taki/taku/taita. Make fire with firewood, or straws. E.g. shiwo wo taku. To make salt. ¶ Furo wo taku. Make fire in a bath, or heat water of a bath. ¶ Kau wo taku. Burn the smells.

4. to instigate
5. (photography) use (a flash)

   フラッシュを焚(た)く

   furasshu o taku

   to use flash

6. [from 1915] (thief cant) to drink saké

• 炊(た)き上(あ)がる (takiagaru)
• 炊(た)き上(あ)げ (takiage)
• 炊(た)き上(あ)げる (takiageru)
• 炊(た)き合(あ)わせ (takiawase)
• 炊(た)き入(い)れ (takīre)
• 炊(た)き置(お)き (takioki), 焚(た)き置(お)き (takioki)
• 焚(た)き落(お)とし (takiotoshi)
• 炊(た)き返(かえ)す (takikaesu)
• 薫(た)き掛(か)け (takikake)
• 炊(た)き殻(がら) (takigara)
• 薪(たきぎ) (takigi)
• 焚(た)き火(び) (takibi)