1.
protective wall; barrier; shielding wall
A wall or barrier built to protect against danger — for example, against flying debris at a construction site, falling rocks on a highway, radiation in a nuclear facility, or blasts in a military bunker.
A physical barrier built to shield people, equipment, or facilities from harm. Composed of 防護 (protection, defense) + 壁 (wall).
Common collocations
- 防護壁を設置する: to install a protective wall
- 防護壁を築く: to build a protective wall
- 防護壁に囲まれる: to be surrounded by a protective wall
- コンクリート防護壁: concrete barrier
- 放射線防護壁: radiation shielding wall
Similar words
- 防壁: barrier; bulwark — more literary; often used figuratively as in "a barrier against ~"
- バリア: barrier (loanword) — often used in figurative senses (psychological, social barriers)
- 防音壁: soundproofing wall — specifically for noise
- 防波堤: breakwater — a barrier built in the sea to block waves
- 遮蔽壁: shielding wall — emphasizes blocking line of sight or radiation
Usage
防護壁 is used both literally (physical walls at construction sites, nuclear plants, or highways) and figuratively in contexts like "emotional barriers" or "a last line of defense." Related figurative uses can be found in news articles about cybersecurity, in which 防護壁 may refer to firewalls.