Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 卵 (egg) has an interesting evolution. In its earliest forms, it depicted two fish eggs or roe, represented by dots inside curved or oval shapes. Over time, these simplified into the modern form with two distinct parts. The character fundamentally means 'egg' and appears in words like 卵子 (ovum) and 卵巣 (ovary). In Liushutong, L15910 shows a transitional form that clearly bridges the ancient pictographic representation of eggs with the modern standardized character, maintaining the essential structure that would become today's 卵. Arrived in Japan: The character 卵 arrived in Japan as part of the wave of Chinese writing imported during the Yayoi period (300 BCE - 300 CE) and was systematically adopted during the Asuka and Nara periods (6th-8th centuries CE) when Japan actively imported Chinese culture, technology, and writing systems.