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 kanji 呪 is a phono-semantic compound, formed by combining the semantic component 口 (mouth) with the phonetic component 卩. The original form in oracle bone script depicted a kneeling figure (卩, representing a person) before a ritual table or altar. This composition signified a person praying or invoking spirits through spoken words, which is the core meaning of "to curse" or "to chant a spell." Historically, the character evolved from this pictographic representation. In bronze script, the elements became more stylized, and by the small seal script period, the form had standardized into the modern 呪. The phonetic component 卩 (setsu) provided a sound clue, while the semantic component 口 (mouth) explicitly tied the meaning to verbal incantation. This character was created in China to represent the act of using spoken words to invoke supernatural forces, for both blessings and curses, though the negative connotation became dominant. The character arrived in Japan between the 5th and 6th centuries CE, imported alongside the broader wave of Chinese writing and culture, primarily through Buddhist texts and rituals. In these contexts, "呪" was used to translate the Sanskrit concept of "mantra" (dhāraṇī), which are sacred incantations. This reinforced its association with powerful, spoken magic. A key linguistic note is the distinction and eventual merger with the kanji 咒, which is a variant form with the same meaning and pronunciation. In modern Japanese, 呪 is the standard form. The word 呪う (norou) encapsulates the original idea of uttering a spell to cause harm, reflecting the ancient belief that spoken words held tangible power to influence the spiritual and physical world. This connects directly to indigenous Japanese Shinto practices involving kotodama (the spirit of words), where words are believed to manifest reality.