Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
Historical forms are not available yet. The current form is shown as a reference.
The character 鍋 evolved from ancient forms depicting a metal cooking vessel. In Liushutong, L08562 shows the earliest recognizable form with the 金 (metal) radical combined with 咼, which originally represented a rounded container or skull-like shape, suggesting a pot or cauldron. Over centuries, the character simplified while maintaining its core structure - the metal radical indicating the material and the right component hinting at the rounded shape of a cooking pot. The meaning consistently referred to a metal pot or wok used for cooking, which remains its primary meaning in both Chinese and Japanese today. Arrived in Japan: The character 鍋 likely arrived in Japan during the Yayoi period (300 BCE - 300 CE) through cultural exchange with China, or more systematically during the Asuka period (538-710 CE) when Japan adopted Chinese writing systems and Buddhist texts. It became firmly established in the Japanese writing system by the Heian period (794-1185) as part of the imported Chinese characters (kanji) used for writing.