防 (fáng) is a Chinese character meaning “to guard against”. It is written from 阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)) and 方 (square; direction (Kangxi radical 70)), side by side, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “to guard against; to prevent”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
阝 + 方
Left–right structure
- 阝 left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑) · fù unknown
- 方 square; direction (Kangxi radical 70) · fāng unknown
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（对照笔顺数据核验：阝 2 画 + 方 4 画 = 6 画）
Memory aid
An embankment (阝) piled up on the left, a square wall (方) on the right: you build up the bank and square off the wall to guard against what is coming. Both parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 防止fáng zhǐto prevent; to guard against; to stop (something bad) from happening防 = fáng
- 防汛fáng xùnflood control; flood prevention防 = fáng
- 提防dī fangto be on guard against; to beware of防 = fáng
Go deeper
All readings
to guard against; to prevent
to guard against; to prevent; to defend; (noun) an embankment or dyke
事先戒备，使不受侵害或不出事；也指挡水的堤坝。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 防止fáng zhǐto prevent; to guard against; to stop (something bad) from happening防 = fáng
- 防汛fáng xùnflood control; flood prevention防 = fáng
- 提防dī fangto be on guard against; to beware of防 = fáng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 防 mean?
防 (fáng) means to guard against; to prevent; to defend; (noun) an embankment or dyke.
How do you pronounce 防?
It is pronounced fáng.
What parts is 防 made of?
阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)) and 方 (square; direction (Kangxi radical 70)), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（对照笔顺数据核验：阝 2 画 + 方 4 画 = 6 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 防 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 防?
阜. 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 防?
Common ones are 防止 and 防汛. The reading of 防 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.