燃やします（もやします、moyashimasu）
- to burn (transitive)

The Japanese verb 燃やします (読み方: もやします, romaji: *moyashimasu*) means "to burn," "to set fire to," or "to incinerate." It describes the action of causing something to be consumed by fire. It can also figuratively mean to be passionate or to dedicate oneself to something. The base form of the verb is 燃やす (*moyasu*). 燃やします is the polite, present/future tense form. The subject of the verb is the person or thing causing the burning, and the object is the thing being burned.

⚫︎ ゴミを燃やします。 Translation: I will burn the garbage. ⚫︎ 手紙を燃やしました。 Translation: I burned the letter. ⚫︎ 情熱を燃やして、頑張ります。 Translation: I will work hard, burning with passion.

⚫︎ Use 燃やします when you want to describe the action of burning something, whether literally or figuratively. ⚫︎ Use it in polite conversation, or when writing formally. ⚫︎ It is appropriate for everyday situations. ⚫︎ The tense and politeness level should match the context of the conversation. ⚫︎ If you are talking about setting something on fire, the particle を (*wo*) will follow the object of the verb. ⚫︎ If talking about burning with passion or dedication, the particle に (*ni*) might be used.

⚫︎ This word is typically written with the kanji 燃 (*mo*) and the hiragana やします (*yashimasu*). ⚫︎ 燃 means "to burn." ⚫︎ The okurigana is や (*ya*). ⚫︎ 燃やします is the ます (*masu*) form, indicating politeness. ⚫︎ Other conjugations include 燃やす (*moyasu*) - the plain form, 燃やさない (*moyasanai*) - the negative form, 燃やした (*moyashita*) - the past tense. ⚫︎ The word is always pronounced as もやします (*moyashimasu*) ⚫︎ 燃やします,燃やした, 燃やして, 燃やしている etc, are related forms.

⚫︎ 焼く (*yaku*) - to bake, to grill, to burn (in a more general sense) ⚫︎ 焼却する (*shoukyaku suru*) - to incinerate (more formal) ⚫︎ 燃える (*moeru*) - to burn, to be on fire (intransitive, the fire is the subject)

⚫︎ 消す (*kesu*) - to extinguish, to put out ⚫︎ 鎮火する (*chinka suru*) - to extinguish a fire (more formal)

古い新聞を燃やします。 ・Translation: I will burn the old newspapers. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the act of burning old newspapers, likely for disposal. The particle を (*wo*) marks 新聞 (*shinbun*), the direct object.

彼は自分の夢のために情熱を燃やします。 ・Translation: He burns with passion for his dream. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 燃やします figuratively, describing the man’s intense dedication or passion for his dream. 情熱 (*jounetsu*) means passion.

The kanji 燃 (*mo*) is a combination of the radicals 火 (*hi*, fire) and 然 (*zen*), signifying something like “of itself”. The meaning has been associated with fire since ancient times, reflecting a fundamental human experience with burning and its effects. The word 燃やす and therefore 燃やします evolved from the root 燃 to depict the action of "making" something burn.