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道Nihongo Path
炎

炎·flame, inflammation

On-yomi
エン
Kun-yomi
ほのお

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

8 strokes, numbered in writing order. Data: KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
炎ほのおflame
炎症えんしょうinflammation
肺炎はいえんpneumonia
胃炎いえんgastritis

Example sentences

  1. 炎が高く上がった。

    ほのおがたかくあがった。

    The flames rose high.

  2. 医者に肺炎だと言われた。

    いしゃにはいえんだといわれた。

    The doctor told me it was pneumonia.

  3. 傷口に炎症が起きています。

    きずぐちにえんしょうがおきています。

    The wound is inflamed.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 肺炎 as *はいほのお
  • Assuming every ...炎 word is about fire — in medical words it means inflammation

Memory aid

Picture it

Two fires (火) stacked one on the other — flames climbing over each other.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 4 of 5

What does the kanji 炎 mean?