褓

Denotes a cloth used to wrap or carry a baby, particularly the traditional Korean “포대기 (podaegi)”.

By extension, it can also refer to any protective or covering garment, symbolizing care, protection, and nurture.

Phono-semantic compound composed of:

衣 (옷 의) — semantic component, meaning “clothing” or “garment.”

保 (지킬 보) — phonetic component, giving the sound bo and the sense of “to protect, to care for.”

Together, they express the idea of “protective clothing” — a garment for safeguarding or wrapping, especially for infants.

褓衣 (보의) — swaddling clothes; baby’s wrap

襁褓 (강보) — infant’s swaddling cloth (from Classical Chinese)

保褓 (보보) — protective garment (archaic)

In Korean culture, the derivative term 襁褓 (강보) was used historically to mean “infancy” itself — as in expressions like 襁褓之年 (“the age of being in swaddling cloths”), meaning early childhood.

In ancient China, 襁褓 (qiǎngbǎo) referred to cloths used to wrap infants, a common sight in agrarian and patriarchal households where mothers carried babies while working.

Korea adopted and localized the concept through 포대기 (褓帶기) — a broad piece of fabric tied around the mother’s body to secure her child on her back.

This traditional item became both a practical tool and a cultural symbol of maternal devotion and protection.

In literature, “襁褓” was often used metaphorically to refer to one’s earliest years or vulnerability under parental care.

For instance:

「襁褓之中蒙母愛，成人之後報親恩。」

“In swaddling cloths I received my mother’s love; as an adult I must repay that grace.”

褓 symbolizes protection, warmth, and nurture — the earliest human experience of safety and love.

The 衣 (garment) component represents shelter and comfort, while 保 (to protect) conveys care, guardianship, and affection.

Together, they express the profound human bond of being held and protected.

「褓者，護也；以衣覆之，保其安也。」

“褓 means to protect; to cover with cloth and keep secure.”

Thus, 褓 embodies both physical care and emotional shelter, the essence of parental love.

褓 teaches us that care begins with protection.

Before words or reason, the infant knows the world through warmth, touch, and safety — all symbolized in the gentle fold of a cloth.

「襁褓之恩，重於天地。」

“The grace of being wrapped in a mother’s cloth is weightier than heaven and earth.”

Therefore, 褓 stands as a character of love, nurture, and protection, reminding us of the quiet, enduring strength that begins every human life — the simple act of being held in care.

When the radical 衣 completely encloses 保, the result is 褒 (기릴 포) meaning “to praise” — hence the two characters are visually similar but semantically distinct:

褓 - “to wrap, protect”

褒 - “to commend, extol.”