Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 牛 depicts the head of an ox or cow, with its two horns prominently featured. In ancient oracle bone script, it clearly showed the animal's face with upward-curving horns. Over time, the character simplified into its current form while retaining the essential horn imagery. 牛 has always represented cattle or bovine animals, symbolizing strength, agriculture, and sacrifice in ancient Chinese culture. It appears in many Chinese idioms and expressions, often representing stubbornness or perseverance. Arrived in Japan: The character 牛 arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, when Chinese writing system and Buddhist texts were introduced to Japan via Korea. It was adopted into Japanese as 'ushi' or 'gyū' and appears in early Japanese texts like the Kojiki (712 CE) and Manyoshu (8th century).