In this vocabulary lesson, you will learn how to say “fire” in Japanese. There are a couple of words you can use depending on whether you want to talk about a controlled fire or an out of control fire. Let’s start with the most important words and let me tell you their meaning, English translations, and kanji so that you will be able to write and use them immediately.
The two basic words for fire in Japanese are “hi” (火) and “kaji” (火事). When referring to the element or a controlled fire like that of a stove the word “hi” (火) is commonly used. However, when talking about a fire that is out of control or a conflagration, the word “kaji” (火事) is more appropriate.
Since these are just the two most commonly encountered words, read on if you want to know all of the 5 commonly used words for “fire” in Japanese, including the one you can use when talking about your “passion“. You will also find the Japanese words for “flame“, “blaze“, and “inferno“.
How to Say “Fire” in Japanese
- hi – 火
- kaji – 火事
- kasai – 火災
- faiya – ファイヤ
- jounetsu – 情熱
1. Hi – Basic Word and Kanji for “Fire” in Japanese
Hi (火) is the basic Japanese word and kanji for “fire“. It can also be translated as “flame” or “blaze” and is often used in anime when referring to “fire” as one of the four classical elements. In spoken Japanese, it is usually used when talking about a controlled fire like that of a stove, cooker, or campfire.
Native English speakers should be careful with the pronunciation of the word “hi” (火), though, which is similar to “hi” in “hidden“, “Hinduism“, or “history“. The Japanese word isn’t pronounced in the same way as the common English greeting.
hi
火
fire
flame
blaze
the element fire
The kanji 火 is also used in a lot of fire-related words, which we will cover further down!
2. Kaji – Most Common Word for an Out of Control “Fire”
The Japanese word kaji (火事) means “fire” or “conflagration“. It is used in spoken Japanese when talking about an out of control fire, like a fire that is burning down a building, boat, or forest. For a “wildfire” or a “bushfire“, there is a more specific word, though, which is yamakaji (山火事).
kaji
火事
fire
conflagration
3. Kasai – Formal Way to Say “Conflagration” or “Fire”
Kasai (火災) is a more formal word that can be used to say “conflagration” or “fire” in Japanese. Since it sounds more formal than the word kaji (火事) it is often encountered in written Japanese or the news, but is less commonly used in spoken Japanese. The latter kanji 災 means “disaster” or “calamity“.
kasai
火災
conflagration
fire
4. Faiaa – English Loanword Meaning “Fire” (Anime & Games)
The Japanese also have an English loanword meaning “fire“, which can be written in katakana as faiaa (ファイアー), faia (ファイア), faiyaa (ファイヤー), or faiya (ファイヤ). The first three versions are most common and are usually only used in anime, manga, games, names of special attacks, monsters, magic, etc.
faiaa
ファイアー
fire
faia
ファイア
firefaiyaa
ファイヤー
firefaiya
ファイヤ
fire
5. Jounetsu – Japanese Word Meaning “Passion” or “Fire
Jounetsu (情熱) is actually the Japanese word for “passion“, “enthusiasm“, or “zeal“, but I decided to include this word here since in English we often refer to these emotions as “fire“. So when you want to talk about fervent emotions, your passion, or someone’s enthusiasm you should use “jounetsu“.
jounetsu
情熱
passion
enthusiasm
zeal
fire
How to Say “Flame” or “Blaze” in Japanese (4 Ways)
The four commonly used words to say “flame” or “blaze” in Japanese are “honoo” or “homura“, which are written in kanji as 炎 or 焔, “kaen“, which can be written as 火炎 or 火焔, and the English loanword “bureizu“, which is written in katakana as ブレイズ. All words are used to refer to a flame or large fire.
- honoo – 炎 or 焔
- homura – 炎 or 焔
- kaen – 火炎 or 火焔
- bureizu – ブレイズ
Honoo (炎 or 焔) is probably the most commonly encountered word of the four. It translates as “flame” and “blaze“, but also as “flames of intense emotions” such as love, jealousy, and anger, and can also mean passion.
honoo
炎
焔
flame
blaze
flames (of intense emotion), passion
The word homura (炎 or 焔) has exactly the same meanings and translations as the word “honoo“. It is an ancient word that is rarely used in spoken Japanese or daily conversations.
homura
炎
焔
flame
blaze
flames (of intense emotion), passion
However, you might come across the word in anime or songs. In the anime, Puella Magi Madoka Magica one of the main characters’ names is “Homura” (ほむら), for example. Also, the main theme of the movie “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train“ sung by the famous artist LiSA is titled Homura (炎).
Kaen (火炎 or 火焔) translates as “flame” or “blaze“, but is less commonly used than honoo and homura. It can be found in words such as “Molotov cocktail” (kaenbin, 火炎瓶) and “flamethrower” (kaenhoushaki, 火炎放射器), though.
kaen
火炎
火焔
flame
blaze
Last but not least, we have the English loanword bureizu (ブレイズ), which translates as “blaze“. In Japanese loanwords are most commonly used in names and titles. So you will probably only encounter this word in anime, games, or other Japanese pop culture.
bureizu
ブレイズ
blaze
How to Say “Inferno” in Japanese (3 Ways)
The words mouka (猛火) or myouka, inferuno (インフェルノ), and shounetsu jigoku (焦熱地獄) can be used to say “inferno” in Japanese. Mouka and myouka are most commonly used when referring to “raging flames” or a “raging fire“, while shounetsu jigoku (焦熱地獄) is used for “hell” or “burning hell“.
- mouka or myouka – 猛火
- inferuno – インフェルノ
- shounetsu jigoku – 焦熱地獄
The word mouka (猛火), which can also be read as myouka, translates as “raging flames“, “roaring flames“, or “raging fire“, and can be used in Japanese to refer to an inferno, which is a large fire that is dangerously out of control.
mouka
myouka
猛火
raging flames
roaring flames
raging fire
inferno
Inferuno (インフェルノ) is an English loanword that translates as “inferno” or “hell” and is most commonly used in names or movie titles. As discussed with other loanwords before, they are not that commonly used in everyday conversations.
inferuno
インフェルノ
inferno
hell
Shounetsu jigoku (焦熱地獄) means “burning hell” or “inferno“. This word is only used when referring to hell, Hades, the netherworld, etc.
shounetsu jigoku
焦熱地獄
burning hell
inferno