守 shǒu — defend · English

守

shǒu

defend

At a glance · 守

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「守」从宀从寸，金文象屋下持守，会守护之意。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「守」本义为防守、守护，引申保持、遵守、太守。

Structure

从宀、从寸，会意字，屋下执法持守，本为守卫、保持。

At a glance

Pinyinshǒu

Radical宀

Strokes6

UnicodeU+5B88

Character type会意

Theme动作

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English defend defend, protect, guard, conserve

Français garder / préserver Garder, préserver. «守真志满» : conserver la vraie nature.

Español guardar / preservar Guardar, preservar. «守真志满»: conservar la naturaleza verdadera.

العربية يحفظ / يصون يحفظ، يصون. «守真志满»: الحفاظ على الطبيعة الحقة.

Русский хранить / оберегать Хранить, оберегать. «守真志满»: беречь истинную природу.

Common words

守护shǒu hùguard
保守bǎo shǒuconservative

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