固め|かためkatame[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounhardening; fortifying
2. nounpledge; vow
3. noundefense; defence; guarding

• Related抑えおさえNeutralKeeping something pressed down or under control; in baseball, the closer. 「固め」 instead leans toward fortifying defenses or a pledge.
• Related守りまもりNeutralGuarding or watching over something; also an amulet or charm. 「固め」 stresses bolstering vigilance and making things solid.
• Related防御ぼうぎょWrittenWritten/formal term for warding off an attack. 「固め」 centers on reinforcing and consolidating.
• RelatedディフェンスCasualA colloquial loanword, chiefly for defense in sports. 「固め」 is a native Japanese word leaning toward consolidation.
• Related防衛ぼうえいWrittenFormal written word for defending a country or defending a title. 「固め」 leans toward firming up defenses.
• Related警備けいびNeutralGuarding and security work, as by guards or patrols. 「固め」 stresses heightening vigilance.
• Related守備しゅびNeutralDefense in a game, or the position a player covers. 「固め」 focuses on consolidation.
• Related備えそなえNeutralPreparedness against emergencies, as in 「備えあれば憂いなし」. 「固め」 leans toward fortifying.
• Related防備ぼうびWrittenWritten/formal term for preparations against outside enemies or disasters. 「固め」 leans toward shoring up defenses.
• Related警防けいぼうWrittenWritten term for staying on guard to prevent disasters and crime. 「固め」 emphasizes consolidation.
• Related防衛策ぼうえいさくWrittenFormal written word for a defensive plan or countermeasure. 「固め」 is the act of fortifying itself.
• Related防ぎふせぎNeutralGuarding against harm or keeping bad things from happening. 「固め」 stresses solidifying the defensive line.
• Related警固けいごWrittenWritten term for standing guard on the alert, especially in emergencies. 「固め」 leans toward consolidation.
• Antonym柔らかやわらかNeutralAn adjectival noun for soft, gentle, pliant things. This entry is a noun for making firm or for defense; they oppose only in soft vs. hard and don't interchange.
• AntonymゆるめNeutralSomewhat loose, as in 「緩めに結ぶ」. It contrasts with 「固め」 only where that means somewhat hard (「固い」+「め」), not with this entry's sense of fortifying or defense.

Use 「固め」 for fortifying or consolidating, as in 「足場固め」 and 「地固め」. For defense in general pick 「守り」 or 「守備」, to repel an attack 「防御」, and for security guarding 「警備」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. かためること。確固かっことすること。
2. 守まもること。守備しゅび。警護けいご。
3. 約束やくそく。