保 (bǎo) is a Chinese character meaning “to protect”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 呆 (blank; dull; stay still), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to protect”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + 呆
Left–right structure
Structure from: modern-glyph decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke counts (亻2 + 呆7 = 保9)
Memory aid
A person (亻) planted beside something with a blank, unmoving face (呆) — standing there no matter what happens is exactly what it means to protect it.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 保护bǎo hùto protect; to safeguard保 = bǎo
- 保证bǎo zhèngto guarantee; to assure保 = bǎo
- 保佑bǎo yòuto bless and protect保 = bǎo
- 保卫bǎo wèito defend; to safeguard保 = bǎo
- 保存bǎo cúnto preserve; to keep; to save保 = bǎo
- 保姆bǎo mǔnanny; housekeeper; childminder保 = bǎospoken asbáo mǔ
- 保留bǎo liúto keep; to retain; to reserve保 = bǎo
Go deeper
All readings
to protect
to protect; to keep; to guarantee; to preserve
护着使不受损害；也指维持原状或担保做到。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 保护bǎo hùto protect; to safeguard保 = bǎo
- 保证bǎo zhèngto guarantee; to assure保 = bǎo
- 保佑bǎo yòuto bless and protect保 = bǎo
- 保卫bǎo wèito defend; to safeguard保 = bǎo
- 保存bǎo cúnto preserve; to keep; to save保 = bǎo
- 保姆bǎo mǔnanny; housekeeper; childminder保 = bǎospoken asbáo mǔ
- 保留bǎo liúto keep; to retain; to reserve保 = bǎo
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 保 mean?
保 (bǎo) means to protect; to keep; to guarantee; to preserve.
How do you pronounce 保?
It is pronounced bǎo.
What parts is 保 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 呆 (blank; dull; stay still), side by side. The recorded source is: modern-glyph decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke counts (亻2 + 呆7 = 保9). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 保 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 保?
亻. 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 保?
Common ones are 保护 and 保证. The reading of 保 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.