Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 田 (tián) is one of the oldest Chinese characters, dating back to oracle bone script. It originally depicted a field divided into plots by irrigation channels or paths. The character has consistently represented 'field,' 'farmland,' or 'cultivated land' throughout its evolution. In ancient China, 田 was not only agricultural but also related to hunting grounds, as seen in terms like 畋猎 (hunting). The simple four-square design has remained remarkably stable from bronze inscriptions to modern standard script, reflecting its fundamental role in agrarian society. Arrived in Japan: The character 田 was introduced to Japan during the Yayoi period (approximately 300 BCE-300 CE) through cultural exchange with China and Korea, and more systematically during the Asuka period (538-710 CE) when Japan adopted Chinese writing systems. It became integrated into Japanese as the kanji 田 (ta or den), meaning 'rice paddy' or 'field,' reflecting Japan's own rice cultivation culture that began in the Yayoi period.