Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 織 (weave) evolved from ancient pictographs showing threads on a loom. In oracle bone script, it depicted warp threads stretched on a weaving frame. The Bronze script added the silk radical (糸), emphasizing its connection to textile production. The Liushutong form L28336 shows an intermediate stage with clear weaving imagery - vertical threads with horizontal shuttles. The modern character combines 'silk' (糸) with 'sound/marker' (音), though originally it was more pictographic. Throughout Chinese history, this character has maintained its core meaning of weaving fabric, later extending to metaphorical meanings of intricate construction. Arrived in Japan: The character 織 arrived in Japan during the Yayoi period (300 BCE - 300 CE) through cultural exchange with China, likely brought by scholars and artisans. It was systematically introduced along with other Chinese characters during the 5th-6th centuries CE when Japan adopted Chinese writing systems. The character became established in Japanese as '織る' (oru, to weave) and is found in early Japanese texts like the Man'yōshū (8th century).