防ぐ
ふせぐ · fusegu · JLPT N3 · verb-godan
to prevent
🛡️ fusegu sounds like fuse: a fuse prevents fires and protects the circuit
The kanji 防 joins 阝 (hill, mound) with 方 (side, direction): an earth bank raised on one side to hold something back. It shows up in 堤防 (teibō, embankment) and 予防 (yobō, prevention).
防 — mound radical 阝(阜) + 方 fāng (phonetic)
防 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left element 阝 (from 阜) depicts a mound or earthen embankment, suggesting barriers and defense. The right element 方 supplies the sound. Together they evoke a dike or rampart that guards against floods or attacks, hence 'to guard, prevent, defend'.