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烈火のごとく (れっかのごとく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

烈れっ火かのごとく

Meanings

1

expression, adverb

furiously; in a blazing rage

Describes intense anger, likening it to a raging fire. Often used with verbs like 怒る (to get angry) or 叱る (to scold).

彼かれは烈れっ火かのごとく怒おこり出だした。
He flew into a blazing rage.
上じょう司しは部ぶ下かのミスに烈れっ火かのごとく叱しかった。
The boss scolded his subordinate furiously over the mistake.

Written forms

烈れっ火かのごとく
Standard modern spelling using hiragana for the auxiliary.
烈れっ火かの如ごとく
Kanji spelling for the auxiliary; more literary or formal in tone.

Kanji

烈ardent, violent, vehement
火fire
如

likeness, like, such as

Similar words

烈れっ火か
烈火 is a noun meaning 'raging fire' or 'fury'. 烈火のごとく turns it into an adverbial phrase meaning 'like a raging fire', used almost exclusively for anger.
激げき怒ど
激怒 is a noun/suru-verb meaning 'violent anger' or 'fury'. 烈火のごとく is more literary and emphasizes the simile to fire.

Etymology

Phrase composed of 烈火 (raging fire) + の (possessive particle) + ごとく (adverbial form of 如し, meaning 'like'). Literally 'like a raging fire', used idiomatically for intense anger.