防
防 — Ward off
ward off, defend, protect, resist
On’yomiボウ (bou)
Kun’yomiふせぐ (fusegu)
Stroke order (7 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 防
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 防衛 | ぼうえい bouei | defense; defence; protection |
| 国防 | こくぼう kokubou | national defence; national defense |
| 防止 | ぼうし boushi | prevention; check |
| 防衛庁 | ぼうえいちょう boueichou | Japan Defense Agency (became Ministry of Defense in January 2007) |
| 予防 | よぼう yobou | prevention; protection (against); precaution |
| 攻防 | こうぼう koubou | offense and defense; offence and defence |
Study notes
防 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 7 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #331 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).
🔊 Tap the big kanji, any reading or any example word to hear it.