盾
たて · tate · JLPT N3 · noun
shield
🛡️ 盾 = a cover over 目 (eye): a shield is what guards your eyes
Look for 目 (eye) at the bottom of 盾. The strokes above it act as a raised cover, so the character reads as protection held in front of the face. Its reading tate is also found in 矛盾 (mujun, contradiction), which literally means spear + shield.