火 kanji: meaning, readings and stroke order

火

火 means “fire”. It is written with 4 strokes and is a JLPT N5 kanji.

On’yomi: カ (ka). Kun’yomi: ひ (hi).

How to write 火 (stroke order)

Write 火 in 4 strokes, following the numbers. Each small box adds one stroke; the red line is the stroke to draw.

1234
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

General rules: top before bottom, left before right, horizontal before a vertical that crosses it, and a closing bottom stroke last. Writing in the right order makes handwriting readable and helps you count strokes when you look a kanji up.

Practice writing 火

Trace 火 over the faint model with your finger or mouse, following the stroke order above. Turn the model off to write it from memory.

Readings of 火

On’yomi (Chinese reading)カ (ka)
Kun’yomi (Japanese reading)ひ (hi)

The on’yomi is usually used in compound words, the kun’yomi when 火 stands alone or is followed by hiragana. A dot (.) marks where the hiragana ending starts.

Example words with 火

WordReadingMeaning
かようび
kayoubi
Tuesday
ひ
hi
fire

火曜日 (kayoubi) means “Tuesday”. Also in this word: 曜日

火 (hi) means “fire”.

FAQ

What does 火 mean in Japanese?

火 means “fire”. Common words with it are 火曜日 (kayoubi, “Tuesday”) and 火 (hi, “fire”).

How many strokes does 火 have?

火 has 4 strokes. Follow the stroke-order diagram on this page from stroke 1 to 4.

How do you read 火?

The on’yomi is カ (ka) and the kun’yomi is ひ (hi). Which one is used depends on the word.

Is 火 on the JLPT N5?

Yes. 火 is kanji number 17 of the 101 N5 kanji on this site.

Related N5 kanji

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