Japanese Symbol for

hi

fire · flame · blaze

Readings

  • ONka
  • KUNひ・ほhi / ho

Meaning

Fire, flame, blaze. 火 is one of the five classical Japanese elements (五行 — gogyō). The character depicts flames rising from a fire. It also means Tuesday (火曜日 — kayōbi, "fire day").

火山

kazan

volcano (fire mountain)

花火

hanabi

fireworks (flower fire)

火事

kaji

fire, conflagration

火曜日

kayōbi

Tuesday (fire day)

火の手

hinote

flames, blaze

火気

kaki

fire, naked flame (warning signs)

花火 (hanabi — fireworks, literally "flower fire") are central to Japanese summer culture. Major 花火大会 (fireworks festivals) in July and August draw hundreds of thousands of spectators. Japan is famous for intricate firework designs — 仕掛け花火 (shikake-hanabi, "trick fireworks") create elaborate mid-air pictures and scenes.

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