hwa

Hwa is the romanization of the Korean Hangul syllable 화. In Korean, the same syllable can represent several different morphemes, each derived from a distinct hanja character. As a result, its meaning varies with context and spelling.

With the hanja 火, hwa means fire. It appears in words such as 화재 (fire disaster), 화염 (flame), and 화력 (firepower). With 花, hwa relates to flowers or flowering plants, as in 화초 (ornamental plants). With 化, hwa denotes change, transformation, or chemistry, as in 화합 (to unite or form a compound), 화학 (chemistry), and 화합물 (compound). With 華, hwa conveys splendor or is used in references to China in Sino-Korean compounds; for example, 화려하다 (to be dazzling or splendid).

In Korean names and place names, the syllable 화 is a common component. It appears in historical and modern toponyms such as Hwaseong (華城, a city in Gyeonggi Province) and in various personal names and terms that carry auspicious meanings related to beauty, prosperity, or refinement, depending on the hanja chosen.

Pronunciation and romanization: 화 is pronounced [hwa], with an aspirated initial ㅎ. In standard Revised Romanization it is written as hwa. Across languages, the corresponding Chinese character can be read as hua in Mandarin, but in Korean the reading is typically hwa. The exact meaning of hwa is determined by the hanja used and the word in which it appears.