A portable air blower includes a blower fan, a drive unit for driving the blower fan, a casing for covering at least the blower fan and having a side wall with an air intake opening defined therein, and a covering unit for covering the air intake opening. The covering includes an air intake grille fitted to the casing and operable to permit an air to pass therethrough into the air intake opening, but to block foreign matters off therefrom, and a protective shroud held in overlapping relation with the air intake grille for covering the air intake grille on one side of the air intake grille opposite to the air intake opening. The air intake grille has an outermost area having a circumferential edge, which is positioned substantially radially inwardly of an outer peripheral edge of the protective shroud.