火 — Kanji Reference

火 (fire): 4 strokes, JLPT N5. On: カ. Kun: ひ、ほ.

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火

Property Value
Meaning fire
Strokes 4
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) カ
Kun-reading (訓読み) ひ、ほ
Radical 火 (ひ) — U+706B

Stroke Order

The stroke order for 火 follows the general rule of top-to-bottom and left-to-right, with a specific focus on balance:

  1. Stroke 1: A short, slightly curved vertical-ish stroke starting from the top center.
  2. Stroke 2: A left-slanting stroke (払 - harai) starting from the middle.
  3. Stroke 3: A right-slanting stroke (捺 - natsu) starting from the same point as stroke 2.
  4. Stroke 4: A final right-slanting stroke (捺 - natsu) that provides the "base" of the flame.

Note: Think of the first three strokes as the "body" of the flame and the final stroke as the flickering tip.

Radical Analysis

The kanji 火 is a pictograph (象形文字 - shōkei moji). It is also its own radical (部首: 火). The shape represents a person standing with their arms outstretched, with flames rising above their head. When used as a radical on the left side of a character, it changes form to 灬 (four dots), such as in 熱 (heat) or 燃 (burn).

Mnemonic

Imagine a person standing in the dark, waving their arms in a panic because their clothes have caught on fire. The top stroke is their head, the two middle strokes are their arms flailing, and the final stroke is the flame licking up from their side!

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

カ (Ka)

Word Reading Romaji English
火山 かざん kazan volcano
火曜日 かようび kayōbi Tuesday
火力 かりょく karyoku thermal power
消火 しょうか shōka fire extinguishing

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

ひ (Hi)

Word Reading Romaji English
火 ひ hi fire
花火 はなび hanabi fireworks
火事 かじ kaji fire (conflagration)

ほ (Ho)

Word Reading Romaji English
火照る ほてる hoteru to flush/glow
火種 ほだね hodane spark/source of fire

JLPT N5 Words Using 火

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
火 ひ hi fire N5
火曜日 かようび kayōbi Tuesday N5
火事 かじ kaji fire (accident) N5
花火 はなび hanabi fireworks N5
火山 かざん kazan volcano N4
消火器 しょうかき shōkaki fire extinguisher N3
火災 かさい kasai conflagration N3
点火 てんか tenka ignition N2

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
火を消してください。 ひをけしてください。 Hi o keshite kudasai. Please put out the fire.
今日は火曜日です。 きょうはかようびです。 Kyō wa kayōbi desu. Today is Tuesday.
夏に花火を見ました。 なつにはなびをみました。 Natsu ni hanabi o mimashita. I saw fireworks in the summer.
火山が噴火しました。 かざんがふんかしました。 Kazan ga funka shimashita. The volcano erupted.
料理のために火を使う。 りょうりのためにひをつかう。 Ryōri no tame ni hi o tsukau. I use fire for cooking.
火の用心が必要です。 ひのようじんがひつようです。 Hi no yōjin ga hitsuyō desu. We need to be careful with fire.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
火 ひ / カ Fire Has a "person" shape with arms flailing.
人 ひと / ジン Person Lacks the top stroke and the two side "flames."
大 おお / ダイ Big Looks like a person with arms wide; lacks the "flame" strokes on the sides.

Usage Frequency Note

火 is one of the most fundamental kanji in the Japanese language. It is used daily, appearing in everything from the days of the week to warnings about fire safety. It is highly common in both formal writing and casual speech.