Kanji Study

Bushu (Radical) Info: 阜 (ぎふのふ) – left village

Henshall Mnemonic: defensive hill to one side prevents attack

Levels: JLPT N2 | JLPT 2 (old) | Grade 5
Frequency: #331 of the 2500 most used kanji in newspapers

Common Words and/or Phrases Using this Kanji:

Click any individual kanji to view a similar information sheet for it.
Click [K] to look up the word's individual character(s) at WWWJDIC.
Click [D] to look up the word at WWWJDIC (definition is the same but other useful features exist).
Click [Jisho] to look up the word at Jisho.org.

JLPT N3 Words

• 消防   [しょうぼう]
  (n) fire fighting; fire department   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 予防   [よぼう]
  (n,vs) prevention; precaution; protection against   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 防ぐ   [ふせぐ]
  (v5g,vt) to defend (against); to protect; to prevent   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N2 Words

• 防犯   [ぼうはん]
  (n) prevention of crime   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 消防署   [しょうぼうしょ]
  (n) fire station   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 防止   [ぼうし]
  (n,vs) prevention; check   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N1 Words

• 堤防   [ていぼう]
  (n) bank; weir   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 国防   [こくぼう]
  (n) national defence   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 防衛   [ぼうえい]
  (n) defense; protection; self-defense   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 防火   [ぼうか]
  (n) fire prevention; fire fighting; fire proof   [K] [D] [Jisho]

Other Popular Words Not Classified by JLPT

• 防波堤   [ぼうはてい]
  (n) breakwater; mole   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 攻防   [こうぼう]
  (n) offense and defense   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 消防車   [しょうぼうしゃ]
  (n) fire-engine   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 消防庁   [しょうぼうちょう]
  Fire and Disaster Management Agency (formerly: Fire Defense Agency)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 専守防衛   [せんしゅぼうえい]
  (n) a nonaggressive defense (policy)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 砂防   [さぼう]
  (n) erosion control   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 正当防衛   [せいとうぼうえい]
  self-defence; legitimate self-defence   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 予防接種   [よぼうせっしゅ]
  immunization; vaccination   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 防衛施設庁   [ぼうえいしせつちょう]
  (Japanese) Defense Facilities Administration Agency   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 防衛庁   [ぼうえいちょう]
  (Japanese) Defense Agency   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 防疫   [ぼうえき]
  (n) prevention of epidemics; quarantine; disinfection   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 防音   [ぼうおん]
  (n) soundproof(ing)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 防空   [ぼうくう]
  (n) air defense   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 防御   [ぼうぎょ]
  (n,vs) defense; safeguard; protection   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 防護   [ぼうご]
  (n) protection   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 防災   [ぼうさい]
  (n) disaster prevention   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 防水   [ぼうすい]
  (n,vs) tarpaulin; make watertight; waterproof   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 防戦   [ぼうせん]
  (n) defensive fight (battle)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 防弾   [ぼうだん]
  (n) bulletproof; bombproof   [K] [D] [Jisho]

Find more details for 防 at jisho.org, Yookoso! or WWWJDIC

Acknowledgments

The sofware used to generate this kanji information uses the EDICT and KANJIDIC files. These files are the property of the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group at Monash University and are used in conformance with the Group's license.

NOTE: I converted the sources just mentioned years ago and have never really updated so there may be some missing or incorrect information that has been addressed in the original sources but not here.

The first Stroke Order image used on this page is courtesy of Ulrich Apel's excellent open source KanjiVG project. The second image is from the folks at the excellent Jisho Japanese-English dictionary site and it too is based on KanjiVG.

Classifying the kanji and popular vocabulary by the new JLPT levels was done by consulting Jonathan Waller‘s JLPT Resources page, renshuu, Wictionary, and Nihongo Ichiban.

The Henshall Mnemonics are the copyright of Tuttle Publishing and are the result of the hard work by Professor Henshall. See the list I used here.

If you are curious about the lexicography shown in the word definitions, visit the WWWJDIC abbreviations and codes guide and the JMdict/Edict Lexicographical details page.