The Chinese Radical: 火




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Meaning
fire    火

Explanation Also this radical 灬 stands for fire.

Used in these characters:
HSK 2
fire, flame
huǒ

Image of a fire  
HSK 3
lamp, light, lantern
dēng
Left: fire 火, right: nail 丁 (here: understood as a torch)
The fire at the torch serves as a lamp. (Whereas the fire 光 on legs 儿 is a bright light 光)  
HSK 3
autumn, fall, harvest time
qiū
Left: rice plant 禾 (here: straw), right: fire/to burn 火
Rice plants (= their straw) are burned: in autumn.  
HSK 3
to roast, to cook, to burn, to stew
shāo
Left: fire 火, right: Emperor Tang Yao 尧 (variation of halberd 戈, table )
The fire shall have (a distance) of a halberd to the table: when roasting.  
HSK 3
to smelt, to refine, to distill
liàn
Left: fire 火, right: east 东/東 (= The sun 日 rises behind a tree 木 in the east.)
With fire and early in the morning [The sun is still behind the tree] we start smelting (the steel).  
HSK 4
conversation, to speak, talk
tán
Left: word 讠/言 (sound waves out of a mouth 口), right: flames 炎 (twice fire 火)
Words like 'flames' make a conversation.  
HSK 4
smoke, soot, cigarette
yān
Left: fire 火, right: reason 因 (For the fence 囗 around the big 大 person is a reason.)
Fire is the reason for smoke.  
HSK 4
community, companion, partner, group, meals
huǒ
Left: person 亻/人, right: fire 火
When people are at the fire, this is forming a community.  
HSK 4
to bother, to trouble, to feel vexed
fán
Left: fire 火, right: page, leaf, head 页/頁 (=head 目 with shoulders 八 and eyebrows 一)
Like a fire in my head, that's how you bother me.  
HSK 4
to roast, to bake, to broil
kǎo
Left: fire 火, right: to check, verify 考 (From the ground 土 with a stick ノ the seaweed 丂 is checked.)
The fire (=its temperature) should be checked before roasting.  
HSK 5
ash, dust, lime, gray, discouraged, dejected
huī
Left: variant of cliff 厂, below: fire 火
If something is "cliff-like" over the fire, it is the ashes.  
HSK 5
disaster, calamity
zāi
Top: roof 宀, bottom: fire 火
Under a roof, a raging fire is a disaster.  
HSK 5
cannon, artillery, firecracker
pào
Left: fire 火, right: enwrap 包 (The wrap 勹 itself 己 makes it to be wrapped.)
The fire that is enwrapped is the cannon.  
HSK 5
spirit, departed soul, quick, alert, efficacious, effective
líng
Top: hand /彐, below: fire 火
Just as the hand cannot grasp fire, it is with the spirit.  
HSK 5
to burn, to ignite, to enlight, to spark off (hopes)
rán
Left: fire 火, right: correct, right, so 然 (The body 月/肉 of the dog 犬 was roasted 灬 over the fire. Is that correct?)
A fire that grills the body of a dog is: a real fire.  
HSK 5
to deep fry, to explode
zhá, zhà
Left: fire 火, right: suddenly 乍 (The saw 乍 fells [the tree] suddenly.)
(Due to the higher temperature:) With fire it is very fast (=sudden) to prepare food if you: deep fry.  
HSK 5
coal
méi
Left: fire 火, right: a certain 某 (sweet 甘 [here: charcoal kiln], tree 木)
Use fire, a kiln and wood, to make (char)coal.  
HSK 5
rotten, soft, mushy, well-cooked, decompose, chaotic
làn
Left: fire 火, right: orchid 兰 (three 三 petals)
The fire turns the orchid into: soft and rotten.  
HSK 5
to fry shortly, sauté, pan-fry, fried
chǎo
Left: fire 火, right: few, little 少 (A small 小 stroke ノ is too few)
If the fire is only a little, it is fried shortly.  
HSK 5
dry, parched, impatient
zào
Left: fire 火, right: gather 喿 (3 mouths 口 [= beaks] in a tree 木, where birds gather.)
At the fire you gather to become dry.  
HSK 5
hot, to burn, to scald, to iron
tàng
Top: soup 汤 (Water 氵 is made by warming sunshine 易 into: a soup.), bottom: fire 火
The soup from the fire is: hot and you will burn.  
HSK 6
a furnace, a stove

Left: fire 火, right: door 戸
The fire (closed by) a door is a furnace.  
HSK 6
to extinguish or put out, wipe out, to drown
miè
Top: a cover 一, below: fire 火
Cover the fire to extinguish it.  
HSK 6
flame, inflammation (disease), -itis
yán
2x fire 火
Two fires: Its getting up in flames!  
HSK 6
scorched, burnt, charred, worried, anxious
jiāo
Top: bird 隹, below: fire 灬
(Chickens are plucked and then scorched to remove the feathers.) The bird on the fire is scorched.  
HSK 6
flame
yàn
Left: fire 火, right: pitfall 臽 (a falling person ⺈ over a pitfall 臼, but here: flame ⺈ over a fireplace 臼)
The fire that comes flame-like from a fireplace is: the flame.  
HSK 6
brilliant, shine, splendid, glorious
huáng
Left: fire 火, right: emperor 皇 [=the sun-日-rayノ above the king 王] (variant of star 星 [= suns 日 with life 生])
The fire and the emperor [alternative: 'white star'] are shining brilliantly.  
HSK 6
candle, to illuminate
zhú
Left: fire 火, right: insect 虫 (here: bee 蜂)
The fire that comes from an insect, is the (beeswax) of the candle.  
HSK 6
glorious, bright, brilliant, lustrous, resplendent
càn
Left: fire 火, right: mountain 山
A fire on the mountain shines gloriously.  
HSK 6
kitchen stove, furnace
zào
Left: fire 火, right: earth 土
The fire on the ground is the kitchen stove.  
HSK 6
bright, luminous
shuò
Left: fire 火, right: happy 乐 (A protected 厂 tree 木 is happy.)
A fire makes happy, if it is: bright.  
HSK 6
to extinguish, put out (fire), to wither away

Left: fire 火, right: breath 息 (I myself 自 and my heart 心 need a breath.)
The fire (loses) its breath, when being extinguished.  
HSK 6
to explode or burst, to quick fry or boil
bào
Left: fire 火, right: expose/violence 暴 (sun 日 [here: frying pan, skillet], variation of together 共, water 水)
Fire leads in the frying pan together with water to an explosion.  
HSK 6
to warm or heat by fire, to bake
hōng
Left: fire 火, right: together, common 共 (Put the plants 艹 on the table together.)
At the fire we gather for: warming up by the fire.  
HSK 6
to boast, to show off, to dazzle
xuàn
Left: fire 火, right: mysterious 玄 (part of magnet: 磁, where an upper bracket 艹 holds threads 玄 with hanging stones 石 that are mysterious.)
Like a fire that is mysterious is: sb. who is boasting.  
HSK 6
to cook food, to steam
chuī
Left: fire 火, right: lack 欠 (top: open mouth/yawning, below: person 人)
If fire is lacking you can't cook.  
HSK 6
cooking method, to boil
pēng
Top: prosperous 亨 (Who makes big/high 高 things to accomplish 了 is prosperous.), bottom: fire 灬
A prosperous use of fire is: to cook.  
HSK 6
to iron
yùn
Top: military officer 尉 (This buttocks 尸 shows 示 his skillful hand 寸 as an officer), bottom: fire 火
For the military officers you use the fire: for ironing.  
no HSK
honest, upright, bright
gěng
Left: ear 耳, right: fire 火
If your ear has a fire burning (for an idea): you are honest and upright.  
no HSK
brilliant, lustrous
huàn
Left: fire 火, right: excellent 奂 (shows a woman giving birth; better recognizable in the traditional: 煥 with head ⺈, two breasts ハ and spread legs 人)
Fire is excellent, if it is: brilliant. - Or: When fire is giving birth, it becomes more brilliant and lustrous.  
no HSK
swallow (bird), Yan (state of Zhou)
yān, yàn
廿
From top: twenty 廿, north 北 (2 people sit back-to-back because of the north's cold.), mouth 口, fire 灬
In (groups of) twenty they come from the north, because of the food (= mouth) and the temperature (=fire): the swallows  
no HSK
luminous, bright, burning, to cauterize
zhuó
Left: fire 火, right: ladle 勺 (here: as a fire pot)
Take the fire into a 'ladle' (fire pot) to make it: bright and luminous.  
no HSK
bright, brilliant, clear
jiǒng
Left: fire 火, right: 冋 (here: wall 冂 with a window 口)
A fire or a window can make it bright.  
no HSK
Ondol "underfloor heating", a heatable brick bed
kàng
Left: fire 火, right: overbearing 亢 (sturdy person with a broad neck and wearing a cap like: navigator 航)
The fire heats the lying person 亠 on this 'table' 几, the: Ondol  
no HSK
burn
fén
Top: forest 林, bottom: fire 火
In the forest is a fire, that is burning!  
no HSK
to smelt, to fuse
róng
Left: fire 火, right: appearance 容 (The houses 宀 in the valley 谷 are an appearance.)
Fire causes the "appearance" of smelting.  
no HSK
fan into a flame, incite
shān
Left: fire 火, right: fan, ventilator 扇 (Gates 戸 and wings 羽 are hinged like fans.)
At the fire you use a fan for inciting.  
no HSK
brilliant, bright, luminous
bǐng
Left: fire 火, right: third 丙 (one 一 outside, two λ strokes inside 内 makes 3)
The fire should be threefold to be brilliant.  
no HSK
to burn, to blaze, splendid, illustrious
chì
Left: fire 火, right: alone 只 (one mouth 口 of eight 八 is just alone)
Fire does simply (= alone), that it is burning.  
no HSK
a glimmer, twinkling, fluorescence, dazzled
yíng
From above: plant 艹, cover 冖, fire 火
If plants are a cover for the fire, it appears glimmering.  
no HSK
torch

Left: fire 火, right: huge 巨 (staring eye)
A fire that shines hugely is: the torch.  
no HSK
to bake (in a pan), to iron, to brand
lào
Left: fire 火, right: every 各 (Sitting cross-legged 夂 on a cushion 口 does everybody)
The fire is used by everybody for: baking.  
no HSK
ashes, embers
jìn
Left: fire 火, right: to the greatest extent, to exhaust 尽 (Two 二 units 尺 are the greatest extent)
After the fire had its greatest extend, it becomes: ashes.  
no HSK
to roast, BBQ, to broil, to toast
zhì
Top: meat 月/肉 lying flatly (as known for example from sacrifice 祭), below: fire 火
If the meat is over the fire, then it is roasted.  
no HSK
brilliant, glorious

Left: fire 火, right: bright 昱 (The sun 日 stands 立 upright and bright.)
A fire that is like a 'standing sun', is: brilliant.  
no HSK
stew, stew slowly
dùn
Left: fire 火, right: barracks 屯 (On fertile ground, where growing shoots 屮 pierced the ground 一 they built a barracks.
The fire in the barracks is used for: stewing.  
no HSK
roasting, to dry over a fire, to bake
bèi
Left: fire 火, right: spit 咅 (stand 立 with open mouth 口 and spit) Here: 口 as a BBQ-grill
You need fire and sth. stands on the grill, when: roasting.  
no HSK
beacon fire
fēng
Left: fire 火, right: to sharp/pointed 夆 (sitting cross-legged 夂 on top of growing plant 丰, like at 'bee' 蜂)
The fire that is at the top (like sitting on-top of growing plant) is: a beacon fire.  

Radicals are shown here that are similar either in appearance or meaning.

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