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)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to protect"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to protect", including 保 (bǎo), 防 (fáng), 卫 (wèi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to protect" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 保 (bǎo), 防 (fáng), 卫 (wèi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span bǎo, fáng, wèi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 保 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 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
Common words for these 3 "to protect" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 保 (bǎo) — so "to protect" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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卫生间wèi shēng jiānbathroom; toilet; WC卫星wèi xīng(aerospace) satellite; (astronomy) satellite; moon
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 3 ways to say "to protect".
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)
All 3 characters
Open 保、防、卫 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.