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 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）
③
花火 — why fire AND flower? — 花火 (fireworks) literally means "flower fire" — because fireworks bloom in the sky like flowers. Over 1,000 花火大会 are held across Japan every summer, drawing tens of millions of visitors. The three most celebrated are 隅田川花火大会 (Tokyo), 長岡まつり大花火大会 (Niigata), and 諏訪湖祭湖上花火大会 (Nagano).はなび · 1,000以上の花火大会 · まいなつ
© JAPANAN · japananjapanesetutoring.com · Personal study use only
N5 Kanji · 火 · Sheet 6 of 11