JLPT N5 Kanji – 火 – ka, hi

This is 5-Minute Kanji, and today, we’re getting a little toasty — the kanji for fire.

Mnemonic:
A madman laughs manically, “HEE HEE,” as he lights the fire, and KA-boom! It explodes.

Onyomi:

カ
ka

Kunyomi:

ひ、-び、ほ-
hi, -bi, ho-

Fire is one of those kanji that practically draws itself — 火 looks exactly like a little flame with sparks shooting out. The most common everyday reading is the kunyomi, 火ひ, used when you’re talking about actual flames or things like a campfire. The onyomi, 火か, shows up in compounds and more formal or Sino-Japanese words — think 火曜日 (かようび, Tuesday) or 火山 (かざん, volcano).

When building mnemonics, focus on the KAH sound (カ) — the spark or match — and the HI shout (ひ) — your leap — because picturing that quick two-part action will make the shape 火 stick.

Mnemonic Factory

火 is basically a tiny flicker of flames. Picture a match strike — KAH! — that spark becomes the small central lick of flame. Then picture yourself piling up the logs in a sharp pile to make a HEAp of wood to light.

Let’s play with English words that highlight the カ sound and how it pairs with ひ:

For カ (onyomi), try:

• KAH-boom — a tiny explosive spark like a firecracker
• CAR (カー → kah) — imagine a cartoon car with little flames coming out the exhaust
• KAYAK — picture a bright kayak with a tiny campfire (silly but memorable)

For ひ / -び / ほ- (kunyomi), try:

• HEAp — a pile of logs you are lighting
• HEAt — the feeling of the flames
• HIt — a spark hits a log and flares up

Putting it together:
We put together a HEAp of logs and started a fire while KAmping. Look at the bright flames dance.

Example Words

Kunyomi (ひ / -び / ほ-):

• 火（ひ） “fire”
• 焚き火（たきび） “bonfire, campfire”*
• 花火（はなび） “fireworks”*

*common, not strictly N5 vocabulary

Onyomi (カ):

• 火曜日（かようび） “Tuesday”
• 火山（かざん） “volcano”*
• 火事（かじ） “(building) fire, accident”*
• 火災（かさい） “conflagration, fire disaster”*

*Not N5

Commonly Confused With

• 炎 — flame(s) (looks like two 火 stacked; stronger/more intense)
• 灯 — lamp/light (shares the fire idea but often with a “lamp” nuance)
• 犬 — dog (different meaning, but the stroke balance can trip up beginners)

Story Review

Can you remember the story? Shout it out loud:

A madman laughs manically, “___ ___,” as he lights the fire, and __-boom! It explodes.

One more time:

A madman laughs manically, “___ ___,” as he lights the fire, and __-boom! It explodes.

Word Review

Ready for a quick drill? Yell out the reading for each:

火
焚き火*
花火*
火曜日
火事*

*Not N5

That’s the kanji for fire! If you’ve got any fun mnemonics of your own (maybe a sillier KAH–HI combo), drop them in the comments — I love hearing clever ones. For more quick kanji like this, hit subscribe and ring the bell so you don’t miss the next 5-Minute Kanji. Keep warm (and keep your 火 controlled), kanji crew!