保管
hokan[ho̞kã̠ɴ]
The Japanese word for storage is 保管, pronounced hokan.
保管 refers to the act of storage or custody. It is used when describing the keeping of items in a specific state or condition, such as keeping goods in a warehouse or protecting valuables in a safe.
Meaning: place (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the characters 保, meaning preserve or protect and 管, meaning manage or control.
Which one should you use?
Additionally, while 保管 is for general storage and custody, the term 貯蔵 is specifically used for storing things for extended periods, such as food preservation.
How do you pronounce it?
hokan
Did you know?
- The character 保 in 保管 is also the root for the word 保育園, which means 'nursery school' or 'daycare', because it carries the meaning of protecting and nurturing.
- The character 管 in 保管 originally meant 'pipe' or 'tube'. It evolved to mean 'control' because the process of managing water through pipes became a metaphor for governance and administration.
- If you are storing something in a digital sense, such as saving a file, you would use 保存 instead of 保管.
Examples in context
- 布団は嵩張るので、客布団など使用頻度の低い布団は、圧縮袋に入れて圧縮して保管するのもいいでしょう。Since futons are bulky, it's a good idea to compress and store futons that are used infrequently, such as guest futons, in a vacuum-sealed storage bag.This sentence is useful for demonstrating how to use 保管 when talking about storing bulky items like futons in vacuum-sealed bags.Tatoeba #10625683 by small_snow, translation #11397452 by pip
- 私たちは貴重品を 保管 しています。We are storing valuable items.
- 友達の荷物を預かっている。I'm storing my friend's luggage.
- この部屋は保管に適しています。Kono heya wa hokan ni tekishite imasu.This room is suitable for storage.
- 貴重品の保管には金庫が必要です。Kichōhin no hokan ni wa kinko ga hitsuyō desu.A safe is necessary for the storage of valuables.
Example conversation
Two people are discussing where to keep some old documents.
- 美咲 Misakiこの書類、どこに保管しますか？Kono shorui, doko ni hokan shimasu ka?Where shall we store these documents?
- 陽太 Yota倉庫に保管しておいてください。Sōko ni hokan shite oite kudasai.Please keep them in storage in the warehouse.
- 美咲 Misaki分かりました。すぐに運びます。Wakarimashita. Sugu ni hakobimasu.Understood. I will move them immediately.
- 陽太 Yota美咲さん、よろしくお願いします。Misaki-san, yoroshiku onegaishimasu.Misaki, please take care of it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 保管, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
