What does 保 mean in Chinese?

保 (bǎo) means "to defend; to protect; to keep; to guarantee; to ensure" in Chinese. It is an HSK Level 3 word.

How do you pronounce 保?

保 is pronounced "bǎo" in Mandarin Chinese. The tone number is 3.

What words contain the character 保?

Common words with 保 include 中保 (advocate), 久保 (Kubo (Japanese surname)), 交保 (to post bail), 人保 (personal guarantee), 低保 (subsistence allowance).

How do you write 保?

保 has 9 strokes. Its radical is 亻. You can view the stroke order animation on our stroke order tool.

保 (bǎo), to defend

保

bǎo

to defend; to protect; to keep; to guarantee

HSK 3verb9 strokes

Character Breakdown

保 = 亻 + 呆

A person stays dumbfounded guarding — to protect

Radical: 亻 (no. 9)Strokes: 9

View stroke order →

Definitions

(verb) to defend
to protect
to keep
to guarantee
to ensure

Example Sentences

我们要保护环境。

Wǒmen yào bǎohù huánjìng

We should protect the environment

Words Containing 保

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
中保	zhòng bǎo	advocate
久保	Jiǔ bǎo	Kubo (Japanese surname)
交保	jiāo bǎo	to post bail
人保	rén bǎo	personal guarantee
低保	dī bǎo	subsistence allowance
作保	zuò bǎo	to act as surety for sb
低保真	dī bǎo zhēn	low fidelity
佐世保	Zuǒ shì bǎo	Sasebo, city and naval port in Nagasaki prefecture, Kyūshū, Japan
保不住	bǎo bu zhù	cannot maintain (sth)
保不定	bǎo bù dìng	more likely than not

Showing 10 of 20 · View all words with 保 →

Related Words

保护(bǎo hù)· to protect

→

守(shǒu)· to guard

→

守住(shǒu zhu)· to hold on to

→

守望相助(shǒu wàng xiāng zhù)· to keep watch and defend one another (idiom, from Mencius); to join forces to defend against external aggressors

→

Grammar Notes

On One Hand (一方面...另一方面)HSK 4

一方面 + Aspect A, 另一方面 + Aspect B

Appears in these articles

Free AP Chinese Practice Test: Test Your Level (2026)

HSK & Exam Info

HSK 3.0: Level 3

Study this word →

Frequently Asked Questions

Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.

保

bǎo