Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 玉 (jade) originated from pictographs of jade beads strung together on a cord. In oracle bone script, it depicted three jade beads connected by a vertical string. Over time, it evolved to its current form with three horizontal lines representing the beads and a vertical line connecting them. Jade was highly valued in ancient China for its beauty and spiritual significance, symbolizing purity, nobility, and moral integrity. The character appears in many Chinese words related to preciousness and beauty. Arrived in Japan: The character 玉 arrived in Japan during the Yayoi period (300 BCE - 300 CE) through cultural exchange with China, but became systematically established during the 5th-6th centuries CE when the Japanese court adopted Chinese writing systems and Buddhist texts. It appears in early Japanese texts like the Kojiki (712 CE) and Manyoshu (8th century).