Recognize 火 in everyday Japanese, learn its meanings (fire) and read it as part of complete words.

The idea

A kanji can have Japanese-origin readings (kun) and readings borrowed through Chinese (on); learn each reading with its word. Compare 火（ひ） and 火曜日（かようび） in the table. 火 has 4 strokes; follow their order in the linked KanjiVG diagram.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingMeaning
火ひfire
火曜日かようびTuesday
花火はなびfireworks
火山かざんvolcano

Examples

  • 火ひはとても熱あついです。Fire is very hot.
  • 火曜日かようびに図書館としょかんへ行いきます。I go to the library on Tuesday.
  • 火ひを消けしてください。Please put out the fire.
  • 花火はなびをいっしょに見みます。We watch the fireworks together.
  • 火山かざんはとても危険きけんです。The volcano is very dangerous.
  • 火曜日かようびはお店みせが休やすみです。The shop is closed on Tuesday.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

火 is ひ on its own, but か in 火曜日 and 火山. Unlike 人, 火 has two short strokes above the spreading legs.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 火 in hiragana.

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    ひ

    火 is read ひ; the whole expression means fire. 火 is used here as a word on its own.

  2. Write the reading of 火山 in hiragana.

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    かざん

    火山 is read かざん; the whole expression means volcano. In this word 火 is read か.

  3. Fill in the missing kanji: ＿曜日（かようび）.

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    火

    火 completes 火曜日, which is read かようび. The completed expression means Tuesday.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 火 from memory, and read 火 and 火曜日 aloud. Then check both readings and meanings.