炎ほのお

ほ

の

お

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

Physical fire; the visible, hot gaseous part of a fire.

ろうそくの炎ほのおがゆらゆら揺ゆれている。
The candle flame is flickering.
火か事じで建たて物ものが炎ほのおに包つつまれた。
The building was engulfed in flames in the fire.

2

flames of emotion; passion

Metaphorical use for intense emotions such as love, jealousy, or anger; often in literary or dramatic contexts.

彼かれの心こころに嫉しっ妬との炎ほのおが燃もえ上あがった。
The flames of jealousy flared up in his heart.

See all 69 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

炎ほのおが上あがるfor flames to rise up; to burst into flame
工こう場じょうから炎ほのおが上あがっているのが見みえた。
We could see flames rising from the factory.
心こころに炎ほのおを燃もやすto kindle a burning passion in one's heart
彼かれは復ふく讐しゅうの炎ほのおを胸むねに燃もやしていた。
He was burning with a flame of vengeance in his heart.
炎ほのおを消けすto put out the flames
消しょう防ぼう士したちは必ひっ死しに炎ほのおを消けした。
The firefighters desperately put out the flames.
炎ほのおに包つつまれるto be engulfed in flames
その建たて物ものはあっという間まに炎ほのおに包つつまれた。
The building was engulfed in flames in no time.

Expressions

嫉しっ妬との炎ほのおflames of jealousy
瞋しん恚いの炎ほのおflames of rage; intense antipathy like a blazing fire

Kanji

炎inflammation, flame, blaze
焔flame, blaze

Related words

火ひN4sense 1
火 is the general word for fire, while 炎 specifically denotes the visible, flickering flame itself.
火か炎えん sense 1
火炎 is a formal or technical term for flame, common in compounds like 火炎放射器, whereas 炎 is the everyday word.
ファイア
炎 specifically means 'flame/blaze' and is used in both literal and figurative expressions, whereas ファイア is a loanword mainly seen in technical or gaming compounds.

Don't confuse with

煙けむりN3sense 1
炎 refers to the glowing flame itself, while 煙 refers to the smoke rising from a fire—learners sometimes mix up which one is which.
炎えん症しょう
炎症 means the medical condition of inflammation, while 炎 alone means a literal 'flame' or 'blaze', even though it shares the kanji 炎.

Word family

炎ほのお検けん出しゅつ器き
flame detector

Written forms

炎Usage96%
- ほのお
  Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency in news and common usage.
- ほむら
ほのおUsage3%
Kana spelling used when avoiding kanji or for clarity.
焔Usage1%
- ほのお
  Variant kanji form; less common and may appear in literary or older texts.
- ほむら
ほむらUsage<1%

Etymology

The kanji 炎 is a compound ideograph of two 火 (fire) elements, representing rising flames. The reading ほのお is a native Japanese word, with the variant ほむら being an older or poetic form.