防火
ぼうか · bouka · JLPT N1 · noun
prevention
🧯🔥 防火 = 防 (guard against, prevent) + 火 (fire): guarding against fire, so fire prevention
The same 防 appears in 防水 (waterproof), so 防火 works as fire-proof, fire prevention, and fire fighting. 防 means defend or prevent, and 火 is fire.
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'.
火 — pictograph of flames rising
火 is a pictograph showing flames rising upward from a fire, with the central stroke as the main blaze and the side strokes as sparks. The ancient oracle bone form looked even more clearly like a burning flame. It still means 'fire' today and serves as a common radical in characters related to heat, burning, or cooking.