防 — “prevent / defend” in Japanese

Grade 5ぼう, ふせ

Radical ⾩ · radical 170 The building block this kanji is filed under

“prevent / defend” in Japanese is 防, read bou, fuse (ぼう, ふせ). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 予防 (prevention).

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What does 防 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	防
Meaning	prevent / defend
Readings	ぼう, ふせ
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	予防 (prevention)

How to read 防

防 is read bou (ぼう) or fuse (ふせ) depending on the word.

Words with 防

防災ぼうさい
予防
堤防

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Kanji read the same way as 防

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Updated: 2026-08-28