Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 丈 originally depicted a hand holding a measuring tool, representing the concept of measurement. In ancient China, it was a unit of length equivalent to ten Chinese feet (尺). Over time, its meaning expanded to refer to measurements generally, and then to respected elder figures (like 丈夫 meaning 'husband' or 'man of stature'). The character evolved from a more pictorial form showing the measuring tool to the simpler modern kanji shape. Arrived in Japan: The character 丈 arrived in Japan during the Yayoi period (around 300 BCE-300 CE) or early Kofun period, as part of the initial wave of Chinese character imports through cultural exchange with Korea and China, before the systematic importation of writing in the 5th century CE.