起火

qǐhuǒ

verb #7,327

Meanings

1 to catch fire; to start a fire
2 to break out (of a fire)

Characters

to rise; to start

Fire starts/rises — something catches fire.

Examples

那栋楼昨晚起火了。

Nà dòng lóu zuówǎn qǐhuǒ le.

That building caught fire last night.

厨房突然起火了！

Chúfáng tūrán qǐhuǒ le!

The kitchen suddenly caught fire!

消防员赶到时，房子已经起火了。

Xiāofáng yuán gǎndào shí, fángzi yǐjīng qǐhuǒ le.

When the firefighters arrived, the house was already on fire.

Tips

usage

起火 means a fire starts (usually accidentally). For deliberately starting a fire, use 点火 (diǎnhuǒ) or 放火 (fànghuǒ, arson). 着火 (zháohuǒ) is a synonym for 'catch fire.'

Stroke Order

起 qǐ

火 huǒ