火 (huǒ): the Chinese character for fire
火 (huǒ) is the Chinese character for fire. It is written with 4 strokes and pronounced huǒ in the third tone. It began as a picture of flames, and it appears in words such as 火车 (train, literally "fire vehicle") and 火山 (volcano).
- Pinyin
- huǒ
- Tone
- third tone (low, dipping)
- Meaning
- fire
- Strokes
- 4
Video: 火 from picture to character
About 37 seconds, with sound. You will hear 火 read aloud, see the picture turn into the character, and get two example words to repeat.
Where the shape of 火 comes from
火 is a pictograph of fire. The oracle-bone form shown on this page, more than 3,000 years old, is a flame shape with points rising from a base.
The modern character keeps the idea of flames reaching upward, but its four strokes do not match the parts of the old drawing one for one.
How to say 火
火 is pronounced huǒ, in the third tone (low, dipping). Listen to it in the video above and say it out loud a few times.
How to write 火: stroke order
火 has 4 strokes. Write the two short strokes first, left and then right. Then write the long sweeping stroke to the left, and the long sweeping stroke to the right last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Common words with 火
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 火车 | huǒchē | train (literally “fire vehicle”) |
| 火山 | huǒshān | volcano (literally “fire mountain”) |
| 火锅 | huǒguō | hot pot (literally “fire pot”) |
| 着火 | zháohuǒ | to catch fire |
| 火星 | Huǒxīng | Mars (literally “fire star”) |
Good to know
At the bottom of another character, 火 is often written as four dots: 灬. You can see it in 热 (rè, hot) and 点 (diǎn, dot; to light). On the left side it keeps its shape but gets narrower, as in 灯 (dēng, lamp) and 烧 (shāo, to burn).
Quiz: test yourself on 火
5 quick questions. Pick one answer for each, then check your score.