Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 占 originated from oracle bone inscriptions, depicting a crack pattern on a tortoise shell used for divination. The original form showed cracks on a shell with a 'mouth' (口) component representing the verbal pronouncement of the divination result. It evolved to mean 'to divine, foretell, or occupy' - reflecting both the act of divination and the claiming of territory or position through supernatural guidance. In Liushutong, this character demonstrates how ancient Chinese writing systematized pictographic and ideographic elements. Arrived in Japan: The character 占 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing system, possibly through Korean peninsula intermediaries or direct cultural exchange with China. It was incorporated into the Japanese kanji system and appears in early Japanese texts like the Man'yōshū (8th century).