Japanese symbol for “arson”
放火
ほうか
Romaji: houka
arson; setting fire
In Japanese, arson is 放火, read ほうか (houka).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- adj-no, n, vi arson; setting fire
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “arson”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 火付け | ひつけ hitsuke | arson; incendiarism |
| 放火罪 | ほうかざい houkazai | (the crime of) arson |
| 放火犯 | ほうかはん houkahan | arson; arsonist |
| 赤馬 | あかうま akauma | fire; conflagration; arson |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 放送 | ほうそう housou | broadcasting; broadcast; program |
| 解放 | かいほう kaihou | release; unleashing; liberation |
| 開放 | かいほう kaihou | opening (a door, window, etc.); leaving open |
| 放題 | ほうだい houdai | (doing) as one pleases; to one's heart's content; letting (something) go unchecked |
| 放棄 | ほうき houki | abandonment; renouncement; renunciation |
| 追放 | ついほう tsuihou | exile; banishment; eviction |
| 火災 | かさい kasai | conflagration; fire |
| 花火 | はなび hanabi | fireworks |
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.