保 — “protect / keep” in Japanese

Grade 5ほ, たも

Radical ⼈ · radical 9 The building block this kanji is filed under

“protect / keep” in Japanese is 保, read ho, tamo (ほ, たも). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 保険 (insurance).

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What does 保 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	保
Meaning	protect / keep
Readings	ほ, たも
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	保険 (insurance)

How to read 保

保 is read ho (ほ) or tamo (たも) depending on the word.

Words with 保

保護ほご
確保かくほ
保管ほかん
保存ほぞん
自然保護しぜんほご
保険

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Updated: 2026-08-28