防止（ぼうし、boushi）
- prevention

The Japanese word 防止 防止 (boushi) means "prevention," "to prevent," "to avoid," or "to protect against." It refers to taking measures to stop something undesirable from happening or to keep something from occurring. It implies proactive actions to mitigate risks or negative outcomes. 防止 can be used as a noun or as a verb (when used with する, "to do"). The concept is about taking action *before* a problem arises.

⚫︎ 事故防止のために安全対策を強化しました。 Translation: We strengthened safety measures to prevent accidents. ⚫︎ 感染症の拡大を防止するために、手洗いを徹底してください。 Translation: Please wash your hands thoroughly to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. ⚫︎ 火災防止のため、タバコの吸い殻はきちんと処理してください。 Translation: To prevent fires, please dispose of cigarette butts properly.

This word is widely used in various contexts, including: ⚫︎ Public safety (e.g., crime prevention, accident prevention). ⚫︎ Health (e.g., disease prevention). ⚫︎ Environmental protection (e.g., pollution prevention). ⚫︎ Everyday life (e.g., preventing delays). It's suitable for both formal and informal situations, though the level of formality might influence the specific phrasing used in the sentence. You would use it when discussing measures taken to stop something from happening or describing the goal of avoiding a negative consequence. Common phrases include things like ～を防止する (to prevent ~), 防止策 (prevention measures), or 防止のため (for the sake of prevention).

防止 防止 is written using the kanji 防 (bō, "to defend," "to protect") and 止 (shi, "to stop"). The reading is ぼうし in hiragana. There are no other common ways to write this word. The okurigana (hiragana added to a kanji word for grammatical purposes) is usually just the verb ending, such as する when used as a verb.

⚫︎ 予防 (yobō): Prevention, precaution. Often used in medical or health contexts. ⚫︎ 阻止 (soshi): To block, to prevent. Often used when talking about obstructing a specific action. ⚫︎ 回避 (kaihi): Avoidance, evasion. ⚫︎ 食い止める (kuitomeru): To hold back, to prevent. Often used in the context of stopping something from spreading.

⚫︎ 促進 (sokushin): Promotion, acceleration (the opposite of prevention, as it encourages something to happen). ⚫︎ 発生 (hassei): Occurrence, emergence (the opposite of prevention, as it refers to something happening). ⚫︎ 悪化 (akka): Worsening, deterioration (the opposite of prevention as it means things are getting worse).

犯罪を防止するために、地域社会が協力し合う必要があります。 ・Translation: To prevent crime, the local community needs to cooperate. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates how 防止 防止 is used in the context of preventing crime, emphasizing the need for community action.

この薬は病気の悪化を防止する効果があります。 ・Translation: This medicine has the effect of preventing the worsening of the illness. ・Explanation: This sentence demonstrates 防止 防止 in a medical context, highlighting the medicine's role in preventing the deterioration of a disease.

The kanji 防 (bō) originally meant "to defend," "to guard," or "to protect". The kanji 止 (shi) means "to stop" or "to cease." The combination of these two kanji clearly indicates the meaning of the word: "to stop something from being defended," thus resulting in prevention.