Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 粗 evolved from ancient forms depicting 'rice' (米) and 'ancestor' (且). Originally, 且 represented a ritual tablet or memorial, but combined with rice, it came to mean 'coarse rice' or 'unrefined grain.' Over time, this meaning expanded to encompass anything rough, crude, or approximate. The character reflects how basic, unprocessed materials were conceptually linked to simplicity and lack of refinement in Chinese thought. Arrived in Japan: The character 粗 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, when the Japanese writing system was being developed through cultural exchange with China and the adoption of Chinese characters (kanji). It was probably part of the systematic introduction of Chinese vocabulary and writing during the Asuka and Nara periods.