音読み: ホ
訓読み: たもつ
画数: 9
部首: 亻（にんべん）
Meaning
Protect / Preserve / Maintain / Safeguard
- Basic forms
- 保つ — maintain; keep (a state) / base form
- 保ちます — maintain; keep / masu form
- 保った — maintained; kept / ta form
- 保って — keep and … / te form
- 保たない — do not maintain / negative
- 保てば — if (you) maintain / conditional
- 保て — maintain it; keep it / imperative
- Common uses
- 健康を保つ — maintain good health
- 距離を保つ — keep a distance
- 冷静さを保つ — keep calm
- More
- 保とう — let’s maintain; try to keep / 〜よう form
- 保たなかった — didn’t maintain / past negative
- 保っている — is maintaining; is keeping / state
保つ（たもつ） is a godan verb. It often means “to keep/maintain” a condition, attitude, balance, or distance.
- 保存 — preservation / save
- 保険 — insurance
- 保護 — protection / safeguard
- 保育 — childcare
- 保安 — public safety
- 保温 — heat insulation
- 保つ — to preserve / maintain
The left radical 亻 indicates “person.” The right element (variant of 呆) historically depicts caring/holding, giving the sense of keeping or preserving. Hence 保 centers on protection and maintenance in legal, safety, and everyday contexts.
この建物は 文化財として 保たれています。
This building is preserved as a cultural asset.
保険に 入っておくと 安心です。
It’s reassuring to have insurance.
保険 — insurance