Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 梅 originally depicted a tree with a fruit-bearing meaning, representing the plum tree. In ancient oracle bone script, it showed a tree with flowers or fruits. Over time, it evolved through bronze script and seal script forms before standardizing into its modern form. The character combines 木 (tree/wood) with 每 (originally representing a mother with hair ornaments, but here serving phonetically). In Chinese culture, the plum blossom symbolizes resilience as it blooms in winter, representing purity, perseverance, and the arrival of spring. Arrived in Japan: The character 梅 arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the introduction of Chinese writing system through Buddhist texts and cultural exchange. It was incorporated into the Japanese writing system as part of the kanji characters and is pronounced 'ume' in Japanese, where the plum blossom also holds significant cultural importance.