焰

A phono-semantic compound:

火 (fire) — semantic component

臽 (함) — phonetic component

First appears in seal script (篆書).

Early variant forms included:

爓 (火 + 閻)

燄 (臽 + 炎)

During the clerical script (隸書) period, the form stabilized as 焰, which became the standard shape.

In Korean, 焰 refers to visible flames, not abstract heat, often appears in literary or elevated expressions.

화염 (火焰) — flame; blaze

기염 (氣焰) — aggressive force; imposing momentum

염화 (焰火) — fireworks (literary / Sino-style)

기염을 토하다 (氣焰을 吐하다) — to display fierce momentum

焰 emphasizes form and movement of fire, not temperature. Frequently used metaphorically for political, emotional, or rhetorical force.

Strongly associated with visual intensity.

Figurative usage in classical prose often associates 焰 with excessive force, arrogance, or overpowering momentum.

Related characters:

炎 — heat; inflammation

火 — fire

燄 — archaic variant

烽 — beacon fire

烈 — intense; fierce

Phonological note (important):

Although 焰 and 炎 share the same Korean reading (염), they are historically and phonologically distinct:

Middle Chinese:

炎: level tone, Yun initial

焰: departing tone, Yi initial

Modern Mandarin:

炎 → yán

焰 → yàn

Semantic distinction:

炎 — heat, inflammation, summer heat

焰 — visible flame, blazing fire

This distinction is preserved in Korean and Chinese, but largely lost in Japanese, where 炎 is commonly used for “flame.”

Usage in Japanese:

焰 is outside the Jōyō kanji list. Usually replaced by 炎.

An unofficial simplified form 焔 appears in:

- creative works

- fantasy / games / manga

In Japanese creative media:

炎 → ordinary flame

焔 → intensified or evolved flame (stylistic distinction)

㷋 — ancient variant (rare)

焔 — Japanese extended shinjitai (informal)

爓 / 燄 — historical seal-script variants