火
The 火 radical
Fire
Variants: 灬
Memory hook
The shape of a flame rising up
The 火 radical (read huǒ) means fire. The HSK 3.0 data contains 58 characters and 304 words built on it — learning them together is far faster than one character at a time.
Practise the 火 radical
Study this radical's 304 words with flashcards or a quiz.
The free plan drills 15 words per radical. Upgrade to Premium
Characters with the 火 radical
58 charactersThe free plan shows 9 characters per HSK level (37/58 characters of this radical).
HSK 1· 3 characters
HSK 1火
fire
点
o'clock (in telling time)
热
hot
HSK 2· 4 characters
HSK 2灯
lamp; light
然
so; right
照
to shine; to illuminate
熟
ripe; cooked (of food, fruit)
HSK 3· 3 characters
HSK 3烈
intense, fierce
烟
cigarette; tobacco; cigarette smoke
烦
annoyed, irritated
HSK 4· 3 characters
HSK 4炼
to train, to temper
烧
to burn
燃
to burn, to set on fire
HSK 5· 6 characters
HSK 5灰
ash
灾
disaster
烂
soft, tender, mushy (from thorough cooking)
烤
to bake
煤
coal
熊
bear
HSK 6· 9 characters
HSK 6灭
to put out, to extinguish (fire, light)
灵
sacred, efficacious
炉
stove, furnace, hearth
炎
hot; sweltering
炒
to stir-fry, to roast
炮
to stir-fry (food) in a pan
炸
to deep-fry
焦
burnt, scorched
煮
to boil
HSK 7-9· 9 characters
HSK 7-9灶
cooking stove, kitchen range
灸
moxibustion (a healing method of burning mugwort to warm acupuncture points)
灼
blazing, scorching hot
灿
brilliant; dazzling
炊
to cook (rice, food)
炖
to stew
炫
to show off, to boast
炬
torch
炭
charcoal
Vocabulary with the 火 radical
304 wordsWords containing at least one character with the 火 radical, ordered by HSK level.
The free plan shows 9 words per HSK level (59/304 words of this radical).
a little; a bit
location, spot, place
train
o'clock (in telling time)
hot
a little bit; a tiny bit
nature
hurry up
suddenly
passport
a little; slightly
lamp; light
to nod
warm; enthusiastic
still; as before
merit; strong point; advantage
strong; intense; fierce
of course; naturally
inevitable; certain
mature; ripe
according to; in accordance with
clearly; obviously
sure enough; as expected
otherwise, or else
still, as before
fever; to have a fever
to smoke (cigarettes)
to smoke (cigarettes)
to take photos
since that is the case, given that
to be late, to be delayed (bus, train, plane)
fierce, intense
impatient, irritated
in accordance with
by chance, randomly
to heat, to warm up
affected by a natural disaster
giant panda
natural gas
unexpectedly; to one's surprise
almost, nearly
inflammation; to become inflamed; to swell up
desk lamp
natural; innate
microwave oven
soul; mind; spirit
tourist attraction, scenic spot
to wipe out; to exterminate
rocket
to put out, to extinguish (fire, light)
clear at a glance
to suffer from internal heat; to get mouth ulcers, pimples (from spicy/hot food or weather)
to not think it right, to disagree, to disapprove
highlight; standout feature
intimate, affectionate
openly, blatantly
to look after; to take care of
in high spirits, full of joy
portrayal, true reflection
Why learn vocabulary by the 火 radical?
The 火 radical hints at the meaning fire. When you meet an unfamiliar character carrying it, you already know part of its meaning before reaching for a dictionary — which is why learners who know their radicals move faster.
How to study: read the memory hook, skim the 58 characters to spot the pattern, then drill the 304 words with flashcards. Spaced repetition brings each word back exactly when you need it.