加热
jiā rè · HSK 5
to heat
🔥 加 (add) + 热 (heat) = add heat → to heat up
加 means add/plus, 热 means hot/heat. Together literally 'add heat' — the standard verb for heating something up, like food in a microwave or water on a stove.
加 — force 力 + mouth 口
加 is traditionally analyzed as a compound of 力 (strength) and 口 (mouth), suggesting boasting or exaggerating one's effort with words. From this it extended to the meaning 'to add' or 'increase'. Today it is used broadly for addition, both literal and figurative.
热 — 执 zhí (phonetic) + 灬 fire radical
热 is a semantic-phonetic compound: the bottom 灬 (a variant of 火 'fire') gives the meaning of heat, while 执 on top supplies the sound. Originally written 熱, it depicted fire below a phonetic element, and the meaning naturally extended from physical heat to 'hot' weather and 'enthusiastic' feelings.