1.
to light (a fire, candle, stove, etc.); to ignite
To start a flame on something for a practical purpose, such as lighting a candle, turning on a gas stove, or starting a campfire.
ろうそくに火をつけた。
I lit a candle.
ガスコンロに火をつけてお湯を沸かした。
I turned on the gas stove and boiled water.
キャンプファイヤーに火をつけるのは難しかった。
It was difficult to light the campfire.
2.
to set fire to; to commit arson
To deliberately ignite a building, property, or object with destructive or criminal intent.
誰かが倉庫に火をつけた。
Someone set fire to the warehouse.
空き家に火をつけた疑いで逮捕された。
He was arrested on suspicion of setting fire to an empty house.
放火犯がゴミ置き場に火をつけた。
An arsonist set fire to the garbage collection area.
3.
to spark (enthusiasm, a movement, etc.); to trigger
Used figuratively to describe setting off or igniting enthusiasm, debate, a trend, or other activity, much like lighting a fire metaphorically.
あの発言が議論に火をつけた。
That remark sparked a debate.
SNSでの投稿がブームに火をつけた。
A social media post ignited the trend.
その映画が彼の情熱に火をつけた。
That movie ignited his passion.
A common expression with three distinct uses: literally lighting a flame, intentionally setting something on fire (criminal context), and figuratively sparking or triggering enthusiasm or activity.
USAGE:
- Sense 1: 〜に火をつける — the object being lit is marked with に
- Sense 2: 〜に火をつける — the target is marked with に (implies criminal intent)
- Sense 3: 〜に火をつける — the abstract thing being triggered is marked with に
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ろうそくに火をつける: to light a candle
- 導火線に火をつける: to light a fuse
- 議論に火をつける: to spark a debate
- ブームに火をつける: to ignite a trend
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 点火する: to ignite — more technical and formal
- 着火する: to catch fire — intransitive, the thing itself starts burning
- 放火する: to commit arson — specifically criminal fire-setting