看 kān / kàn — to look after; to take care of; to watch; to guard; it depends; think
我喜欢看书。Wǒ xǐ huan kàn shū.I like reading books.
Common words: 看到 (kàn dào)、看见 (kàn jiàn)、好看 (hǎo kàn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to guard"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to guard", including 看 (kān / kàn), 保 (bǎo), 防 (fáng), 卫 (wèi), 守 (shǒu). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to guard" covers 5 different Chinese characters — 看 (kān / kàn), 保 (bǎo), 防 (fáng), 卫 (wèi), 守 (shǒu) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 5 characters do not share a sound — their readings span kān, kàn, bǎo, fáng, wèi, shǒu — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 看 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 看 kān / kànto look after; to take care of; to watch; to guard; it depends; thinkUseful words: 看到, 看见
- 保 bǎoto defend; to protect; to insure or guarantee; to maintain; hold or keep; to guardUseful words: 保护, 保证
- 防 fángto protect; to defend; to guard (against)Useful words: 防止, 预防
- 卫 wèito guard; to protect; to defend; (surname)Useful words: 卫生, 卫生间
- 守 shǒuto guardUseful words: 保守, 遵守
Common words for these 5 "to guard" characters
Anchor each of these 5 characters in a word you can picture — start with 看 (kān / kàn) — so "to guard" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
看到kàn dàoto see看见kàn jiànto see; to catch sight of好看hǎo kàngood-looking; nice-looking; (of a movie, book, TV show etc) good; in an embarrassing situation保护bǎo hùto protect; to defend; to safeguard; protection保证bǎo zhèngguarantee; to guarantee; to ensure; to safeguard保持bǎo chíto keep; to maintain; to hold; to preserve防止fáng zhǐto prevent; to guard against; to take precautions预防yù fángto prevent; to take precautions against; to protect; to guard against消防xiāo fángfirefighting; fire control卫生wèi shēnghygienic; sanitary; hygiene; sanitation
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 5 ways to say "to guard".
保 bǎo — to defend; to protect; to insure or guarantee; to maintain; hold or keep; to guard
多喝水可以保护嗓子。Duō hē shuǐ kě yǐ bǎo hù sǎng zi.Drinking more water can protect your throat.
Common words: 保护 (bǎo hù)、保证 (bǎo zhèng)、保持 (bǎo chí)
防 fáng — to protect; to defend; to guard (against)
天冷了要预防感冒。Tiān lěng le yào yù fáng gǎn mào.When it gets cold, prevent catching a cold.
Common words: 防止 (fáng zhǐ)、预防 (yù fáng)、消防 (xiāo fáng)
卫 wèi — to guard; to protect; to defend; (surname)
警卫站在大门口。Jǐng wèi zhàn zài dà mén kǒu.The guard stands at the gate.
Common words: 卫生 (wèi shēng)、卫生间 (wèi shēng jiān)、卫星 (wèi xīng)
守 shǒu — to guard
我们要做一个守信用的人。Wǒ men yào zuò yí ge shǒu xìn yòng de rén.We should be people who keep our word.
Common words: 保守 (bǎo shǒu)、遵守 (zūn shǒu)、防守 (fáng shǒu)
All 5 characters
Open 看、保、防 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.