Meaning & readings
guard, protect, defend, obey
On’yomi シュ、ス
Kun’yomi まも.る、まも.り、もり、-もり、かみ
Nanori う、し、も、て
Origin
This character combines a roof (the top component) with a measure or unit of length (the bottom component). Together they suggest the idea of protecting or guarding something within a defined space or boundary—like keeping watch over a house or territory. The roof represents shelter or a place that needs defending, while the lower component marks out the specific area being protected. Over time, the meaning broadened to include the general concepts of guarding, protecting, and following rules or orders.
AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Compound ideographic (combined meanings).
Components
- 宀
- 寸
Common words
Reference
- Strokes
- 6
- Kangxi radical
- 40
- Grade
- Grade 3 (Kyōiku)
- Frequency rank
- #457 (newspapers)
- Former JLPT
- level 2
- Unicode
- U+05B88