Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 我 (wǒ) originally depicted a hand holding a weapon, specifically a halberd or dagger-axe. In oracle bone script, it showed a serrated blade on a long handle. Over centuries, the character evolved from this weapon representation to become the first-person pronoun 'I' or 'me' in Chinese. This transformation reflects how ancient Chinese society viewed self-identity through the lens of defensive capability and martial power. The character's evolution shows simplification of the blade elements while maintaining the general structure, with the modern form stabilizing during the Han dynasty clerical script period. Arrived in Japan: The character 我 arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing system. It was adopted into Japanese as ガ (ga) for the Buddhist term 'self' or 'ego' (我執 - self-attachment), and also read as われ (ware) meaning 'I' or 'self'. The character became part of the Japanese writing system during the Asuka and Nara periods when Buddhist texts and Chinese classics were systematically imported to Japan.