衛 — “defend / guard” in Japanese

Grade 5えい

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“defend / guard” in Japanese is 衛, read ei (えい). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 衛生 (hygiene).

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What does 衛 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	衛
Meaning	defend / guard
Readings	えい
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	衛生 (hygiene)

How to read 衛

衛 is read ei (えい) depending on the word.

Words with 衛

衛星えいせい
自衛隊じえいたい
人工衛星じんこうえいせい
衛生

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Kanji read the same way as 衛

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Updated: 2026-08-28