火 huǒ — fire; flame
夜晚的灯火照亮了回家的路。Yè wǎn de dēng huǒ zhào liàng le huí jiā de lù.The lights at night brighten the road home.
Common words: 火车 (huǒ chē)、火车站 (huǒ chē zhàn)、着火 (zháo huǒ)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "flame"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "flame", including 火 (huǒ), 炎 (yán), 焰 (yàn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "flame" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 火 (huǒ), 炎 (yán), 焰 (yàn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span huǒ, yán, yàn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 火 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 火 huǒfire; flameUseful words: 火车, 火车站
- 炎 yánflame; inflammation; -itisUseful words: 炎症, 炎热
- 焰 yànflameUseful words: 火焰, 焰火
Common words for these 3 "flame" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 火 (huǒ) — so "flame" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "flame".
炎 yán — flame; inflammation; -itis
炎热的夏天，大家都喜欢吃冰淇淋。Yán rè de xià tiān, dà jiā dōu xǐ huan chī bīng qí lín.In the hot summer, everyone likes to eat ice cream.
Common words: 炎症 (yán zhèng)、炎热 (yán rè)、发炎 (fā yán)
焰 yàn — flame
篝火的火焰越烧越旺。Gōu huǒ de huǒ yàn yuè shāo yuè wàng.The flames of the bonfire grow brighter and brighter.
Common words: 火焰 (huǒ yàn)、焰火 (yàn huǒ)、气焰 (qì yàn)
All 3 characters
Open 火、炎、焰 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.