How to say "steam" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 蒸かすふかすgodan verb, transitive verbA verb meaning to steam food — most often potatoes and the like, cooked until soft. It describes the cooking process, not steam as a substance.
- 蒸すむすgodan verb, transitive verbThe broad verb for steaming: it covers food and also a towel or similar item steamed to warm it. When you mean the action of steaming, this is the word to use.
- 蒸気じょうきnounThe noun for steam as a substance: the vapour produced when water boils, as from a kettle or a steam locomotive; it also covers vapour in general.
- nounThe loanword for steam; in practice it most often means steam heating — a room warmed by radiators — so it is seldom the word for the steam rising from hot food or a kettle.
- 湯気ゆげnounThe steam you can see rising — the wisps above a hot bath, a kettle or a bowl of just-cooked rice. For this visible vapour it is the natural choice, with 蒸気 the broader word.
Use the verbs 「蒸す」 and 「蒸かす」 for steaming food (「蒸かす」 especially potatoes), the nouns 蒸気 and 湯気 for steam as a substance or vapour rising from something hot, and 「スチーム」 chiefly for steam heating.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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