Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 張 originated from ancient Chinese pictographs showing a bow with a string being drawn taut. It combines the radical 弓 (bow) with 長 (long), representing the action of stretching a bowstring. Over time, its meaning expanded to include concepts of stretching, extending, spreading, and opening up. In modern usage, it can mean to open, to stretch, to display, or even a common surname. The character evolved through various script styles - from oracle bone script to bronze inscriptions, seal script, clerical script, and finally to the regular script used today. Arrived in Japan: The character 張 arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, primarily through the introduction of Chinese writing systems and Buddhist texts via Korean peninsula. It became incorporated into the Japanese writing system as a kanji character, retaining its core meanings related to stretching and extending, and is used in both native Japanese words and Sino-Japanese compounds.