火 4 strokes

火 huǒ — fire

4 strokes · radical 火 · HSK 2

A way to remember it

Flames rising with sparks at the sides. Flattened underneath a character it becomes 灬, four dots — which is why 热 hot and 煮 boil have feet made of fire.

A picture that makes the shape stick — not a claim about the character’s history.

Flames rising with sparks at the sides.

Words it turns up in

火车火山

Lists it belongs to

一二三人 Your first 20 characters 20 characters 茶水叶杯 Tea characters 15 characters 日月山水 Characters that are still pictures 24 characters

Characters near this one

Quick check — what does 火 mean?

Reading that mentions 火

7 Chinese characters that are still drawings — the fastest win for day-one learners Start here The 12 radicals that unlock 500 characters — and the order to learn them in Start here