Kanji Study : 防
Today we will look at a fairly common upper-level kanji, 防.
Meanings: ward off; defend; protect; resist
Kun: ふせ.ぐ
Kanji Parts:
- 阝 mound; dam
- 方 direction
Mnemonic: Set up a mound 阝 to ward off and defend against those coming from the enemy's direction 方.
As a verb it means:
ふせぐ 【防ぐ】 protect from, keep away, prevent
And we can see these meanings in 熟語 jukugo (kanji combinations), but another meaning for this kanji, when used as a prefix, is "-proof". Knowing this can increase your vocabulary quickly and without much headache:
Examples of 防 as -proof
防水
bou sui
waterproof
[防水靴 bou sui gutsu - water-proof shoes; 防水コート bou sui ko-to - rain coat]]
防犯
bou han
prevention of crime; crime prevention
[crime-proof]
防火
bou ka
fireproof
防災
bou sai
protection against (natural) disasters
防疫
bou eki
prevention of epidemics or plagues
[epidemic-proof]
Then we have a few examples that appear to mean the opposite of -proof. While the above 防 (-proof) was added to the undesirable thing it should prevent, the following seem to have 防 to compliment that meaning: to protect or defend (something)
防止
bou shi
prevention
[止 means to stop]
防戦
bou sen
a defensive battle
[戦 means war; battle]
防衛
bou ei
defense
[衛 means defense]
