Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 伴 (bàn) evolved from ancient pictographs showing a person (亻/人 radical) accompanied by another element, originally representing 'companion' or 'to accompany.' In Liushutong, L15887 shows an early form where the right component differs from modern 半 but conveys the same concept of partnership. The modern form combines 人 (person) with 半 (half), suggesting someone who shares half of one's journey or experiences - a true companion. Throughout Chinese script evolution, it consistently maintained its core meaning of 'to accompany,' 'partner,' or 'companion.' Arrived in Japan: The character 伴 arrived in Japan during the Yayoi period (300 BCE - 300 CE) or early Kofun period (300-538 CE) through cultural exchange with China, likely via Korean peninsula. It was systematically introduced along with other Chinese characters during the 5th-6th centuries when Japanese scholars began studying Chinese writing systems, and was incorporated into the Japanese writing system as a kanji character with the reading 'ban' or 'tomona(u).'