保
保 — Protect
protect, guarantee, keep, preserve, sustain, support
On’yomiホ (ho)
On’yomiホウ (hou)
Kun’yomiたもつ (tamotsu)
Stroke order (9 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 保
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 安保 | あんぽ anpo | security (e.g. national security); US-Japan Security Treaty; campaign against the Japan-US Security Treaty (1959-60, 1970) |
| 保護 | ほご hogo | protection; safeguard; guardianship |
| 安全保障 | あんぜんほしょう anzenhoshou | (guarantee of) security |
| 確保 | かくほ kakuho | securing; obtaining; ensuring |
| 保険 | ほけん hoken | insurance; guarantee; warranty |
| 保守 | ほしゅ hoshu | maintenance; conservatism; conservativeness |
Study notes
保 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 9 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #146 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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