Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 建 depicts a person (廴) holding a brush (聿) and marking on a surface, originally meaning 'to establish' or 'to build.' In its earliest oracle bone script forms, it showed a hand holding a writing instrument, symbolizing the creation of laws, institutions, or buildings through planning and documentation. Over time, the components simplified into the modern form with 聿 (writing brush) and 廴 (movement/going), representing the concept of establishing something that endures and spreads. Arrived in Japan: The character 建 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing systems, possibly through Buddhist texts and diplomatic exchanges. It became incorporated into the Japanese writing system as a kanji during the Asuka and Nara periods when Japan systematically adopted Chinese characters for official records and scholarship.