Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 毛 (máo) originally depicted animal fur or hair, showing distinct strands growing from skin. In oracle bone script, it appeared as tufts of hair. Over centuries, the character simplified while retaining its essential meaning of 'hair,' 'fur,' or 'wool.' It also extended to mean 'surface' or 'exterior' (as hair grows on surfaces) and became a measurement unit (1/10,000 of a Chinese foot). The character's evolution shows gradual stylization from pictorial hair representation to the modern three-stroke form. Arrived in Japan: The character 毛 arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, introduced alongside other Chinese characters through cultural exchange with Korea and China. It was adopted into Japanese as both a kanji character and the radical for hair-related terms, appearing in early Japanese texts like the Manyoshu (8th century) and becoming part of the standard educational curriculum during the Nara and Heian periods.