Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 国 (guó) evolved from ancient pictographs representing a walled city or territory. In its earliest forms during the Shang Dynasty, it depicted a geographical area marked by boundaries. The character transformed significantly over time - from oracle bone script showing enclosed land, to bronze inscriptions adding weapons (戈) symbolizing defense, to the modern form with 囗 (enclosure) surrounding 玉 (jade/treasure), representing a precious sovereign state. The Japanese simplification to 国 during the Meiji period removed one dot from the traditional 國 character, making it simpler while retaining the meaning of a bounded nation containing valued elements. Arrived in Japan: The character arrived in Japan around the 5th-6th centuries CE during the period when Chinese writing system was introduced to Japan through Korean scribes and Buddhist texts. The traditional form 國 was used until the post-WWII period when the simplified 国 was officially adopted in the Tōyō kanji list of 1946.