衛兵
eihei[e̞ːhe̞ː]
The Japanese word for guard is 衛兵 (eihei), which refers to a person or thing that protects something. Wiktionary also lists ガード (gādo).
Meaning: person who or thing that protects something (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 衛兵 | eihei | [e̞ːhe̞ː] (narrow) |
| ガード | gādo | [ɡa̠ːdo̞] (narrow) |
The term for a guard depends on the specific role being described. 衛兵 is used for military guards or historical palace guards. If you are referring to a person who keeps watch or patrols a specific place, you can use 番人. For a bodyguard, specifically in historical or old-fashioned contexts, the term 用心棒 is used.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 衛兵 is composed of the characters 衛, meaning defense or protect and 兵, meaning soldier.
Which one should you use?
In contrast, 番人 refers to a guard who keeps watch or patrols a specific place, while 用心棒 refers to a bodyguard and is often used in historical or old-fashioned contexts.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
eihei
Did you know?
- While ガード is a loanword for 'guard', it can also mean 'girder' in construction. This is because the Japanese borrowed both English terms and transcribed them into the same katakana characters.
- The word 用心棒 for a bodyguard literally means 'one who is a watch-stick'. It evokes the image of a hired sword for protection in the Edo period.
- In Japanese martial arts, a defensive 'guard' is rarely called ガード. Instead, practitioners use specific terms for 'stance' or 'readiness' to describe their position.
Examples in context
- 車はガードレールに衝突して、丘を転げ落ちて行った。The car crashed into the guard-rail and rolled down the hill.This sentence is useful for seeing how ガード is used in the context of a guard-rail.Tatoeba #149016 by tommy__san, translation #265542 by CM
- 用心棒は昔話の主人公の守護者でした。The yojimbo was the protagonist's guardian in the folktale.
- 城の門には衛兵が立っている。shiro no mon ni wa ehei ga tatte iru.A guard is standing at the castle gate.
- 衛兵が王宮の入り口を警備している。ehei ga oukyuu no iriguchi o keibi shite iru.A guard is guarding the entrance to the royal palace.
Example conversation
A pair of friends are visiting a historical museum.
- 美咲 Misakiあそこに衛兵の格好をした人がいるよ。asoko ni ehei no kakkou o shita hito ga iru yo.There is a person over there dressed like a guard.
- 陽太 Yota本当だ、かっこいい衛兵だね。honto da, kakkoii ehei da ne.You're right, he's a cool guard.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太くん、あそこまで行ってみる？yota-kun, asoko made itte miru?Yota, do you want to go over there?
- 陽太 Yotaいや、もう少し離れて見ていよう。iya, mou sukoshi hanarete mite iyou.No, let's stay a little further away and watch.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “guard” translations and entries 衛兵, ガード, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ガード, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
