Japanese symbol for “flames”
炎
ほのお
Romaji: honoo
flame; blaze
In Japanese, flames is 炎, read ほのお (honoo).
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
- n flame; blaze
- n flames (of intense emotion, e.g. love, jealousy, anger); passion
Written forms: 炎、焔. Readings: ほのお、ほむら.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “flames”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 火先 | ひさき hisaki | flames; forefront of fire; flame tips |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 肺炎 | はいえん haien | pneumonia |
| 炎上 | えんじょう enjou | going up in flames; destruction by fire (esp. of a large building) |
| 肝炎 | かんえん kan'en | hepatitis |
| 炎症 | えんしょう enshou | inflammation; irritation |
| 火炎 | かえん kaen | flame; blaze |
| 火炎瓶 | かえんびん kaenbin | Molotov cocktail; petrol bomb; gasoline bomb |
See also: Chinese symbol for “flames”.
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.