noun
small fire; minor fire
Refers to a small, often quickly extinguished fire, such as a kitchen mishap or a minor incident that does not develop into a major blaze.
昨夜、隣の家でぼやがあったらしい。
It seems there was a small fire at the neighbor's house last night.
料理中にぼやを出してしまった。
I accidentally caused a small fire while cooking.
Kanji spelling is rare; the word is usually written in kana. The reading ぼや is a jukujikun for this kanji form.
火事 is a general term for a fire, often a larger or more destructive one, while ぼや specifically refers to a small, minor fire.
The origin is uncertain. The kanji 小火 literally means 'small fire', and the reading ぼや is a jukujikun (special kanji reading) that may be related to the mimetic word ぼやぼや (absent-minded, careless), suggesting a fire caused by inattention.