Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 招 evolved from ancient pictographs showing a hand (扌) beckoning or summoning someone. In its Liushutong form, the composition clearly shows the radical for 'hand' combined with an element representing a call or summons. Over time, this evolved into the modern form 招, which maintains the hand radical on the left and 召 on the right, phonetically suggesting the sound while semantically relating to calling or inviting. The character's core meaning of 'beckon,' 'summon,' or 'invite' has remained consistent throughout its evolution, appearing in words like 招待 (invitation) and 招手 (wave hand). Arrived in Japan: The character 招 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing systems, either directly from China or via the Korean peninsula. It was incorporated into the Japanese writing system as a kanji during the period when Japan was systematically adopting Chinese characters, initially for official documents and Buddhist texts before becoming part of everyday written Japanese.