保存
ほぞん · hozon · JLPT N3 · noun
preservation
🫙 保存 = protect + keep: guard something so it keeps existing
保 (ho) means to protect or guarantee, as in 保険 hoken, insurance. 存 (zon) means to exist or keep, as in 存在 sonzai, existence. Together they mean protecting something so it lasts. That is also why 保存 is the Save button on a Japanese computer.
保 — person 亻 + 呆 (child/protect phonetic)
Originally an ideograph showing an adult carrying a child on the back, meaning to protect or shield. The right side 呆 evolved from a depiction of a swaddled infant. Over time the meaning broadened from 'protect a child' to 'preserve, guarantee, keep safe.'
存 — 才 (talent/sprout) + 子 (child)
Originally written with 才 (a sprout breaking ground) over 子 (child), suggesting a child being raised or kept alive. The character came to mean 'to exist, to remain, to preserve.' Modern uses like 存在 (exist) and 保存 (preserve) reflect this core sense of continued being.
ほぞん · hozon · JLPT N3 · noun
save
💾 保存 = protect (保) + exist (存): keep it existing
保 means to protect or keep, 存 means to exist or remain. Together: guard something so it stays in existence. It is the word on every Japanese Save button, and also used for preserving food or documents.
保 — person 亻 + 呆 (child/protect phonetic)
Originally an ideograph showing an adult carrying a child on the back, meaning to protect or shield. The right side 呆 evolved from a depiction of a swaddled infant. Over time the meaning broadened from 'protect a child' to 'preserve, guarantee, keep safe.'
存 — 才 (talent/sprout) + 子 (child)
Originally written with 才 (a sprout breaking ground) over 子 (child), suggesting a child being raised or kept alive. The character came to mean 'to exist, to remain, to preserve.' Modern uses like 存在 (exist) and 保存 (preserve) reflect this core sense of continued being.