盾 — “Shield / Escutcheon / Pretext” in Japanese

Master (高手)じゅん, たて

Radical ⽬ · radical 109 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Shield / Escutcheon / Pretext” in Japanese is 盾, read jun, tate (じゅん, たて). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 矛盾 (contradiction).

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What does 盾 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	盾
Meaning	Shield / Escutcheon / Pretext
Readings	じゅん, たて
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	矛盾 (contradiction)

How to read 盾

盾 is read jun (じゅん) or tate (たて) depending on the word.

Words with 盾

矛盾

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Kanji read the same way as 盾

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

Updated: 2026-08-28