やきもちを焼やく

Meanings

1

expression, godan verb (-ku)

idiomatic expression

Idiomatic expression literally meaning 'to grill rice cakes', used to describe feeling jealous or envious, especially in romantic contexts.

彼かれが他ほかの女おんなの子こと話はなしていると、彼かの女じょはすぐやきもちを焼やく。
She gets jealous right away when he talks to other girls.

友とも達だちの成せい功こうにやきもちを焼やいてしまう自じ分ぶんが嫌いやだ。

I hate myself for feeling jealous of my friend's success.

Written forms

やきもちを焼やく
Standard mixed kanji-kana spelling; the most common written form.
やきもちを妬やく
Uses the kanji 妬く (to be jealous) for the verb, making the meaning explicit.
ヤキモチを焼やく
Katakana spelling of やきもち; sometimes used for emphasis or in informal writing.
焼やきもちを焼やく
Full kanji spelling; less common but still encountered.
ヤキモチを妬やく

Kanji

焼bake, burning
妬jealous, envy

Similar words

嫉しっ妬と
A more formal noun meaning 'jealousy' or 'envy'. やきもちを焼く is a colloquial, idiomatic verb phrase.
妬ねたむ
A verb meaning 'to be jealous' or 'to envy', often used in more serious or negative contexts. やきもちを焼く is lighter and more commonly used in everyday speech.

Etymology

The phrase literally means 'to grill rice cakes' (焼き餅を焼く). The connection to jealousy is uncertain, but one theory suggests it comes from the way rice cakes puff up and change shape when heated, metaphorically representing the swelling of jealous feelings.