I am learning JLPT N2. I came across these words in one sentence. I couldn't
find the difference between 沸く【わく】, 炊く【たく】, 茹でる【ゆでる】, 煮る【にる】, and 蒸す【むす】. All
the words have similar meanings. Can anyone tell me the exact meanings and
situations where the above words are used?
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2014-01-16T05:01:35.430
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2014-11-08T06:43:24.537
2014-11-08T06:43:24.537
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question
word-choice words
What is the difference between 沸く【わく】, 炊く【たく】, 茹でる【ゆでる】, 煮る【にる】, and 蒸す【むす】?
沸く refers to the simplest act of a liquid boiling. It is an _intransitive_
verb and just means that something (water) is heated up and usually boils
(note the kanji in 沸騰{ふっとう}). Its transitive form is 沸かす. You can see it
additionally in words like 湯沸{ゆわ}かし器{き}, or water heater. For example: お湯が沸く,
湯を沸かす. 沸く has an additional nuance of heightened emotion.

茹でる is a _transitive_ verb that refers to boiling something (as in food, _not_
the liquid itself), like in 野菜を茹でる. It doesn't seem to indicate the addition
of any flavor. Its intransitive form is 茹だる. So while 沸く refers to the boiling
of water, 茹でる refers to the act of putting the food in the water and boiling
it.

煮る is also a transitive verb to boil something, but this is in more of a
cooking sense where you prepare a dish by boiling it, adding spices, different
ingredients, etc. to imbue it with flavor. You might call it "stewing" in
English. Many foods contain the kanji 煮 and can be classified as 煮物{にもの}.

炊く is an older form of 煮る but now mostly refers to the act of cooking rice.
Note the kanji in 炊飯器{すいはんき}, or rice cooker.

蒸す is for steaming something. Often used in compounds, like 蒸しご飯 or 蒸し菓子
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2014-01-17T05:30:34.743
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answer