炎 — “Inflammation / Flame / Blaze” in Japanese

Master (高手)えん, ほのお

Radical ⽕ · radical 86 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Inflammation / Flame / Blaze” in Japanese is 炎, read en, honoo (えん, ほのお). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 炎 (flame).

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What does 炎 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	炎
Meaning	Inflammation / Flame / Blaze
Readings	えん, ほのお
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	炎 (flame)

How to read 炎

炎 is read en (えん) or honoo (ほのお) depending on the word.

Words with 炎

肺炎

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Kanji read the same way as 炎

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28