JAPANAN 日本語
Native Speaker Kanji Series
4 strokes
火 (fire)
Core Meaning
fire · flame
ひ（名）
音読み On-yomi
カ
- 火山かざんvolcano
- 火曜日かようびTuesday
- 火事かじfire/blaze
訓読み Kun-yomi
ひ
- 火ひfire
- 火花ひばなspark
- 花火はなびfireworks
Etymology — pictographic origin
origin
Memory Hook
火 looks like a person (人) with flames on each side — they're on fire! カ = "KA-boom!" like a fire starting. ひ = the "heat" of a campfire.
Writing Practice — tap to watch, trace, or quiz yourself
Touch Practice
Tap Watch to see the stroke order, or Practice to write 火 from memory.
Exercises
✦ Reading — write how to read the highlighted kanji
1
あそこに火がみえます。
I can see fire over there.
2
火ようびにテストがありました。
I had a test on Tuesday.
✦ Writing — write the correct kanji in the blank
3
あのはです。
That mountain is a volcano.
4
おとといじがありました。
There was a fire the day before yesterday.
文化ノート
Cultural Note
花火 — why fire AND flower?
花火 literally means "flower fire" — because fireworks bloom in the sky like flowers. Over 1,000 花火大会（はなびたいかい = fireworks festival) are held across Japan every summer. The three most celebrated: 隅田川花火大会 (Tokyo), 長岡まつり大花火大会 (Niigata), 諏訪湖祭湖上花火大会 (Nagano).
はなび · flower fire
花火大会 1,000+
隅田川 · 長岡 · 諏訪湖
Native Speaker's NoteWhat your textbook won't tell you
①
⚠ Don't confuse with — 人 (person) is the base shape. 火 has the same centre strokes but adds the two outer flame-strokes. Without those, it's just a person.火（ひ）≠ 人（ひと）
②
ひ vs カ — Use ひ when talking about literal fire: 火をつける (light a fire). Use カ in compounds: 火山 (volcano), 火曜日 (Tuesday).✓ 火（ひ）をつける ✓ 火山（かざん）
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N5 Kanji · 火 · Sheet 6 of 11