Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 百 (bǎi) meaning 'hundred' evolved from a pictographic origin. In oracle bone script, it was depicted as a combination of 'one' (一) and 'white' (白), though some scholars suggest it originally represented a container or vessel used for measuring. The character underwent simplification over centuries, with the Warring States period showing various regional forms before standardizing during the Qin dynasty. The modern form maintains the 'white' component but with a horizontal line above, symbolizing the counting of one hundred units. Arrived in Japan: The character 百 arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing systems. It was adopted into Japanese as part of the kanji system, reading as 'hyaku' in native Japanese reading and 'haku' in Sino-Japanese compounds. The character appears in early Japanese texts like the Kojiki (712 CE) and Manyoshu (8th century).