Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 専 evolved from ancient pictographs depicting a hand spinning thread on a spindle. In its earliest forms during the Shang Dynasty oracle bone script, it showed a hand holding a spinning tool. By the Zhou Dynasty bronze inscriptions, it developed into a more structured form combining 寸 (hand) and 叀 (spindle). The character originally meant 'to spin' or 'to specialize' in textile work, but evolved to mean 'exclusive,' 'specialized,' or 'monopoly' as spinning became a specialized craft. In modern Japanese, 専 retains these meanings in words like 専門 (senmon - specialty) and 専攻 (senkō - major field of study). Arrived in Japan: The character likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing system through Buddhist texts and diplomatic exchanges. It appears in early Japanese documents like the 8th century Manyōshū poetry collection, indicating it was well-established in Japanese writing by the Nara period (710-794 CE).