Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 倉 (cāng) depicts a granary or storehouse in ancient China. Its earliest oracle bone script form showed a structure with a pointed roof (representing the thatched roof of a storage building) and doors at the bottom for accessing stored grain. The character evolved through bronze script and seal script periods, gradually standardizing into its modern form. The top component represents the roof, while the bottom part originally represented the doors and the stored contents. Throughout Chinese history, 倉 has maintained its core meaning of 'granary,' 'storehouse,' or 'warehouse,' symbolizing food security and agricultural surplus - essential concepts in agrarian civilization. Arrived in Japan: The character 倉 arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, primarily through the introduction of Chinese writing systems via Korean peninsula intermediaries and direct cultural exchange with China. It was adopted into Japanese as 'kura' (くら), maintaining its meaning of storehouse or warehouse, particularly for valuable items like rice, weapons, or treasures. The character became firmly established during the Asuka and Nara periods (6th-8th centuries) as part of the systematic adoption of Chinese characters (kanji) into Japanese writing.