焰

Tap the pinyin to hear it

flame

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

火 meaning “fire” + 臽 sound ( xiàn )

Components 火臽

flame · Heisig RSH #2969

火 fire + pothole

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
火焰喷射器	huǒ yàn pēn shè qì	flamethrower
火焰山	huǒ yàn shān	Mountain of Flames of legend; fig. insurmountable obstacle; Mountain of Flames in Turpan d…
众人拾柴火焰高	zhòng rén shí chái huǒ yàn gāo	(lit.) when everybody gathers fuel, the flames are higher (proverb); (fig.) the more peopl…
放焰口	fàng yàn kǒu	to feed the starving ghosts (i.e. offer sacrifice to protect the departed spirit)
气焰	qì yàn	arrogance; haughtiness
火焰	huǒ yàn	blaze; flame
焰火	yàn huǒ	fireworks
嚣张气焰	xiāo zhāng qì yàn	(idiom) overweening attitude; threatening manner
气焰嚣张	qì yàn xiāo zhāng	see 囂張氣焰\|嚣张气焰[xiao1 zhang1 qi4 yan4]
烈焰	liè yàn	raging flames
凶焰	xiōng yàn	ferocity; aggressive arrogance
萤焰	yíng yàn	light of firefly; firefly

Characters sharing the sound component 臽 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
臽 sound part	xiàn	pit, hole
阎	yán	village gate; surname
掐	qiā	to hold, to choke; to gather in one hand
谄	chǎn	to flatter, to cajole; toady, yes-man
萏	dàn	lotus