火 meaning and stroke order
Fire; urgent; ammunition
How to write 火, stroke by stroke
4 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Meaning of 火
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- fire
- urgent
- ammunition
- fiery or flaming
- internal heat (Chinese medicine)
- hot (popular)
How 火 is built
Pictographic character. Flames.
How to remember 火
火 is a picture of flames. Picture a person 人 standing in the middle with two sparks 丷 jumping up on either side, like a campfire crackling.
火 (huǒ) means fire, but it also appears in many everyday words like 火车 (huǒchē, train) and 火山 (huǒshān, volcano). In casual speech it can mean popular or trending. Example: 这首歌很火。(Zhè shǒu gē hěn huǒ.) This song is really popular.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 火 with 大 (dà, big) or 人 (rén, person) because they share the same central strokes. Remember that only 火 has the two short dots 丷 on the sides.
Common words with 火
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 火车 | huǒchē | train | HSK 1 |
| 着火 | zháohuǒ | to catch fire | HSK 4 |
| 火灾 | huǒzāi | serious fire (in a city or a forest etc) | HSK 5 |
| 火腿 | huǒtuǐ | ham | HSK 5 |
| 火柴 | huǒchái | match (for lighting fire) | HSK 5 |
| 火箭 | huǒjiàn | rocket | HSK 6 |
| 火焰 | huǒyàn | blaze; flame | HSK 7-9 |
| 火山 | huǒshān | volcano | HSK 7-9 |
| 发火 | fāhuǒ | to catch fire; to ignite; to lose one's temper; to blow up | HSK 7-9 |
| 点火 | diǎnhuǒ | to ignite; to light a fire | HSK 7-9 |
| 火花 | huǒhuā | spark; sparkle | HSK 7-9 |
| 火药 | huǒyào | gunpowder | HSK 7-9 |
| 烟火 | yānhuǒ | smoke and fire; cooked food | HSK 7-9 |
| 熄火 | xīhuǒ | (of fire, lamp etc) to go out; to put out (fire) | HSK 7-9 |
火 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 火
Learning 火 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 火
How many strokes are in 火?
火 is written with 4 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 火 mean?
火 (huǒ) means fire; urgent; ammunition. A common word with it is 火车 (huǒchē), meaning "train".
How do you pronounce 火?
火 is pronounced huǒ, in the third tone (dipping).
Is 火 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 火 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Why does 火车 mean train if it means fire car?
Early trains were steam engines powered by burning coal, so they were called fire cars. The name stayed even though modern trains are electric.
What does 上火 (shànghuǒ) mean?
It comes from the Chinese medicine idea of internal heat. People say 上火 when they have symptoms like a sore throat or mouth ulcers, often blamed on spicy or fried food. It can also mean to get angry.