卫 (wèi) is a Chinese character meaning “to guard”. It is written from ㇕ and 丨 (vertical stroke) and 一 (one), one above the other, and takes 3 strokes.
Build the character for “to guard; to protect”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
㇕ + 丨 + 一
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画几何核验的现代字形笔画拆分（横折、竖、横）
Memory aid
The turning stroke (㇕) is a watchtower roof, the upright (丨) is the sentry standing under it, and the long base (一) is the wall being guarded.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
3 strokes
In real words
- 卫生wèi shēnghygiene; sanitation; health卫 = wèi
- 保卫bǎo wèito defend; to safeguard卫 = wèi
- 守卫shǒu wèito guard; to defend; a guard卫 = wèi
- 捍卫hàn wèito defend; to uphold; to safeguard卫 = wèi
Go deeper
All readings
to guard; to protect
to guard; to protect; to defend; a guard
保护、防护；也指担任保护工作的人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 卫生wèi shēnghygiene; sanitation; health卫 = wèi
- 保卫bǎo wèito defend; to safeguard卫 = wèi
- 守卫shǒu wèito guard; to defend; a guard卫 = wèi
- 捍卫hàn wèito defend; to uphold; to safeguard卫 = wèi
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 卫 mean?
卫 (wèi) means to guard; to protect; to defend; a guard.
How do you pronounce 卫?
It is pronounced wèi.
What parts is 卫 made of?
㇕ and 丨 (vertical stroke) and 一 (one), one above the other. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画几何核验的现代字形笔画拆分（横折、竖、横）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 卫 have?
3. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 卫?
卩. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 卫?
Common ones are 卫生 and 保卫. The reading of 卫 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.