守
守 — Guard
guard, protect, defend, obey
On’yomiシュ (shu)
On’yomiス (su)
Kun’yomiまもる (mamoru)
Kun’yomiまもり (mamori)
Kun’yomiもり (mori)
Kun’yomi-もり (mori)
Kun’yomiかみ (kami)
Stroke order (6 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 守
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 保守 | ほしゅ hoshu | maintenance; conservatism; conservativeness |
| 守備 | しゅび shubi | defense; defence; fielding |
| 守り | まもり mamori | protection; defense; defence |
| 順守 | じゅんしゅ junshu | observance (of laws, rules, etc.); adherence; obeying |
| 保守党 | ほしゅとう hoshutou | Conservative Party |
| 守り | もり mori | babysitting; babysitter; protecting |
Study notes
守 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 6 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 3), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #457 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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