守 — “to protect / to keep” in Japanese

Grade 3しゅ, す, まも

Radical ⼧ · radical 40 The building block this kanji is filed under

“to protect / to keep” in Japanese is 守, read shu, su, mamo (しゅ, す, まも). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 守る (to protect).

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What does 守 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	守
Meaning	to protect / to keep
Readings	しゅ, す, まも
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	守る (to protect)

How to read 守

守 is read shu (しゅ) or su (す) or mamo (まも) depending on the word.

Words with 守

守備しゅび
見守みまも
守るto protect / to keep
遵守

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Kanji read the same way as 守

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

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Updated: 2026-08-28