春

Spring

Level 17

How this kanji evolved

Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.

The character 春 (spring) evolved from ancient pictographs showing plants sprouting under the sun. In oracle bone script, it depicted the sun (日) above vegetation (艸) and a seed (屯), symbolizing the season of growth and renewal. Over time, the components simplified into the modern form 春, representing the vitality and rebirth of spring in Chinese culture. Arrived in Japan: The character 春 arrived in Japan around the 5th-6th centuries CE during the period when Chinese writing system and Buddhist texts were introduced to Japan, primarily through Korean peninsula intermediaries and direct cultural exchanges with China.

Reading reference

Onyomi (音読み)

シュン

Kunyomi (訓読み)

はる

Related Vocabulary

春
spring, springtime, New Year, prime (of life), height (of one's prosperity), heyday, adolescence, puberty, sexuality, sexual desire
春巻き
spring roll
春休み
spring break, spring vacation