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 character 婆 (pó) has an interesting evolution. It originally meant 'old woman' in Chinese and is composed of 波 (wave) with the 女 (woman) radical added. In the Liushutong (六书通), the form recorded under L08621 shows an ancient variant that already contains the core elements recognizable in the modern 婆 character. Over time, the character evolved from meaning specifically 'old woman' to also carrying meanings related to maternal figures (as in 老婆 - wife) and even supernatural beings (as in 巫婆 - witch). The character maintains its core association with feminine maturity and wisdom throughout its development. Arrived in Japan: The character 婆 arrived in Japan during the early waves of Chinese character importation, likely between the 5th and 7th centuries CE along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing and Buddhism. It became incorporated into the Japanese writing system as a kanji, reading as 'ba' in on'yomi (Chinese reading) and used in words like 老婆 (ろうば - old woman) and 産婆 (さんば - midwife).