火 huǒ — fire, flame

Pinyin

• huǒ (third tone, dipping)

fire, flame

Character breakdown

• 火shape partA single pictograph: a flame with a spark on either side.

Mnemonic

A burning stick with a spark leaping off each side: the two inner strokes are the flame, the two outer ones the sparks. Lay the fire flat under a character and it becomes the four dots 灬 of 热 and 点. The train, 火车, is still literally the fire vehicle.

A memory aid written by HSK Guide editors. It is not an etymology and does not describe the historical origin of the character.

Words containing 火

• 火车站/火車站huǒchēzhàn (third tone, dipping)railway station