Japanese symbol for “protection”
保護
ほご
Romaji: hogo
protection; safeguard; guardianship; custody
In Japanese, protection is 保護, read ほご (hogo).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n, vs, vt protection; safeguard; guardianship; custody; patronage
- n, vs, vt preservation; conservation
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “protection”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 擁護 | ようご yougo | protection; defence; support |
| 守り | まもり mamori | protection; defense; defence |
| 防衛 | ぼうえい bouei | defense; defence; protection |
| 予防 | よぼう yobou | prevention; protection (against); precaution |
| 防護 | ぼうご bougo | protection |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 保険 | ほけん hoken | insurance |
| 確保 | かくほ kakuho | securing; obtaining; ensuring |
| 保存 | ほぞん hozon | preservation; conservation; storage |
| 保証 | ほしょう hoshou | guarantee; security; assurance |
| 保守 | ほしゅ hoshu | maintenance |
| 弁護士 | べんごし bengoshi | lawyer; attorney |
| 看護 | かんご kango | nursing; (army) nurse |
| 弁護 | べんご bengo | defense; defence; pleading |
See also: Chinese symbol for “protection”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.