保 — protect / keep

Grade 5ほ, たも

Radical ⼈ · radical 9 The building block this kanji is filed under

保 (readings: ほ, たも; Japanese kanji) means “protect / keep”. It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 保険 (insurance).

Try it now

What does 保 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	保
Meaning	protect / keep
Readings	ほ, たも
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	保険 (insurance)

How to read 保

保 is read ほ or たも depending on the word.

Words with 保

保護ほごbảo vệ
確保かくほbảo đảm
保管ほかんbảo quản
保存ほぞんbảo quản
自然保護しぜんほごbảo vệ thiên nhiên
保険bảo hiểm

Learn 保 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,026 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-09