Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 烏 (crow/raven) evolved from a pictograph of a bird. It is closely related to 鳥 (bird), but 烏 depicts a crow specifically - the key difference is the missing dot for the eye, representing how crows' black feathers make their eyes difficult to see. In ancient oracle bone script, it clearly showed a bird shape with a prominent beak. Over time, the character simplified through bronze script, clerical script, and finally to the modern standard form. The character carries meanings of 'black' and 'crow' in Chinese, and is used in words like 烏鴉 (crow) and 烏黑 (pitch black). Arrived in Japan: The character 烏 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing system through Buddhist texts and cultural exchange with China and Korea. It was adopted into Japanese as 'karasu' (crow) and incorporated into the Japanese writing system, appearing in early Japanese texts like the Manyoshu (8th century).