守

Translingual

Phonosemantic interpretation

Old Chinese Initial /*t-/ lends semantic value Straight. Vowel /*-o-/ lends semantic value Curvature or Curve and surround/envelop. Bronze inscription style combines phono-semantic indicator 又 hand/action indicator + semantic indicator a covering element → enclose/surround to defend or protect. Other present-day meanings are via association and extension. Source: Howell & Morimoto

Han character

守 (radical 40 宀+3, 6 strokes, cangjie input 十木戈 (JDI), four-corner 3034₂, composition ⿱宀寸)

1. defend, protect, guard, conserve

References

• KangXi: page 282, character 5
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 7071
• Dae Jaweon: page 552, character 4
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 2, page 912, character 3
• Unihan data for U+5B88

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Cantonese

Hanzi

守 (jyutping sau2, Yale sau2)

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Japanese

Kanji

守 (grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. protect, defend, watch over

Synonyms

• (protect): 衛, 仗

Readings

• Goon: しゅ (shu), す (su)
• Kan’on: しゅう (shū)
• Kun: かみ (kami), こう (kō), も.る (守る, mo.ru), もり (mori), も.り (守り, mo.ri), まも.る (守る, mamo.ru), まもり (mamori), まも.り (守り, mamo.ri), まぼ.る (守る, mabo.ru), まぶ.る (守る, mabu.ru)
• Nanori: う (u), し (shi), て (te), まもる (mamoru), も (mo)

Compounds

Compounds

守衛 (しゅえい, shuei) 守禦 (しゅぎょ, shugyo) 守護 (しゅご, shugo)

守株 (しゅしゅ, shushu) 守戍 (しゅじゅ, shuju) 守備 (しゅび, shubi)

死守 (ししゅ, shishu) 肥後守 (ひごのかみ, higonokami) 守護神 (しゅごしん, shugoshin): a tutelary deity

Etymology 1

Noun stem of verb 守る (moru, “to protect, to watch over”). Also spelled with the okurigana り.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA: [mo̞ɾi]

Alternative forms

• 守り

Noun

守 (hiragana もり, romaji mori)

1. a watchman, a keeper (as of a lighthouse), a caretaker
2. a nursemaid, a babysitter

Etymology 2

From verb 守る (mamoru, “to protect”).

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA: [ma̠mo̞ɾ̠ɯᵝ]

Proper noun

守 (hiragana まもる, romaji Mamoru)

1. A male given name

Etymology 3

Noun stem of verb 守る (mamoru, “to protect”). Also spelled with the okurigana り.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA: [ma̠mo̞ɾi]

Alternative forms

• 守り

Noun

守 (hiragana まもり, romaji mamori)

1. standing watch, standing guard
2. a watchman, a guard (especially at a castle or fort)
3. divine protection from misfortune
4. a god or spirit providing such protection
5. a ward, charm, talisman, or other item providing divine protection
6. short for 守り刀, 守刀 (mamorigatana, “protection sword”, sword always kept at one's side for personal protection)
7. a seal or coat of arms using a 守り札 (mamorifuda, “charm tag”), 守り袋 (mamoribukuro, “charm bag”), or similar charm for the design

Synonyms

• (watchman): 守備 (しゅび, shubi); 警備 (けいび, keibi); 警護 (けいご, keigo)
• (divine protector): 守り神 (まもりがみ, mamorigami); 守護神 (しゅごしん, shugoshin)
• (charm): お守り (おまもり, omamori); 守り札 (まもりふだ, mamorifuda); 護符 (ごふ, gofu); 守り袋 (まもりぶくろ, mamoribukuro)

Etymology 4

Alteration of mamori.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA: [ma̠bo̞ɾi]

Noun

守 (hiragana まぼり, romaji mabori)

1. see mamori above

Etymology 5

Alteration of mabori.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA: [ma̠bɯᵝɾi]

Noun

守 (hiragana まぶり, romaji maburi)

1. see mamori above

Etymology 6

From Middle Chinese.

Pronunciation

• On'yomi
• IPA: [ɕʲɯᵝ]

Noun

守 (hiragana しゅ, romaji shu)

1. (archaic) used when listing an official's titles when there are two or more (compare English cum)
2. short for 守護 (shugo, “protection, protector”)
3. (archaic) short for 国守 (kokushu, “head administrator of a kuni in the old Ritsuryō system”)

Etymology 7

From the sense of being above in rank and status. Essentially of the same meaning as 上 (kami, “above”), but spelled 守 to convey a sense of “watching” or “overseeing”.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA: [ka̠mi]

Alternative forms

• 長官

Noun

守 (hiragana かみ, romaji kami)

1. (archaic) under the old Ritsuryō system of ancient Japan, the highest of the four ranks of civil servant staff, and general term for head administrators of government departments
2. (archaic) in the first year of the new Meiji era government established in 1868, the title of the seven heads of all government bureaus except the 総裁局 (Sōsai Kyoku, “Bureau of the President”), whose head was titled 総裁 (Sōsai, “president” or “director general”)

Etymology 8

Alteration of kami.

/kami/ > /kamu/ > /kau/ > /koː/

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA: [ko̞ː]

Noun

守 (hiragana こう, romaji kō, historical hiragana かう)

1. (obsolete) see kami above; used in obsolete titles

Derived terms

The following are all titles in the old Ritsuryō system.

• 守の君 (こうのきみ, kō no kimi)
• 守の殿 (こうのとの, kō no tono)
• 守の主 (こうのぬし, kō no nushi)

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Korean

Hanja

守 (hangeul 수, revised su, McCune-Reischauer su)

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Mandarin

Hanzi

守 (pinyin shǒu (shou3), Wade-Giles shou³)

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Vietnamese

Han character

守 (thủ, thú)