保護
ほご · hogo · JLPT N3 · noun
protection
🛡️ 保 keep safe + 護 guard = protection; hogo: hold & go guard it
Both halves mean safeguarding. 保 shows up in 保存 (save) and 保険 (insurance); 護 in 看護 (nursing) and 弁護士 (lawyer, a defender). Two guarding words together give shelter and care, as in 保護者 (guardian).
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.'