Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 中 (zhōng) originally depicted a flagpole with a banner in the center, representing the concept of 'middle' or 'center.' In ancient oracle bone script, it showed a vertical line (the pole) with a square or circle in the middle (the banner), sometimes with flowing ribbons. Over time, the banner simplified into a single rectangle or square bisected by the central line. The character evolved through bronze script, seal script, and clerical script before reaching its modern form. 中 carries meanings of centrality, medium, inside, and hitting the target, reflecting its core concept of being at the heart of something. Arrived in Japan: The character 中 arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, primarily through the introduction of Chinese writing systems via Korean scholars and Buddhist texts. It was formally adopted into the Japanese writing system during the Asuka period (538-710 CE) as part of the broader cultural exchange with China, and appears in early Japanese texts like the Kojiki (712 CE) and Nihon Shoki (720 CE).