Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 積 evolved from ancient pictographs representing the accumulation of grain. In its Liushutong form, the character shows the radical 禾 (grain) combined with 責 (debt/obligation), symbolizing the piling up of harvested crops or the accumulation of goods over time. This character's core meaning of 'accumulate,' 'pile up,' or 'product' has remained consistent through its evolution from oracle bone script to bronze script, seal script, and finally the modern kanji form. It reflects the agricultural society's focus on storing surplus harvest and calculating quantities. Arrived in Japan: The character 積 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, when the Japanese writing system was being developed through cultural exchange with China. It was formally incorporated into the Japanese writing system during the Nara period (710-794 CE) as part of the adoption of Chinese characters (kanji) for writing Japanese.