Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 胡 originally depicted an animal's jaw with dangling flesh, representing the throat and beard. It evolved from oracle bone script showing a meaty jaw to bronze inscriptions emphasizing the bearded chin, eventually standardizing during the Qin dynasty into its modern form with 月 (meat/moon radical) and 古 (ancient/sound component). Historically, it referred to non-Han peoples north and west of China, later extending to mean 'reckless' and appearing in terms like 胡须 (beard) and 胡椒 (pepper). Arrived in Japan: The character 胡 likely arrived in Japan between the 5th-6th centuries CE during the period of cultural exchange with China, when Chinese writing and Buddhist texts were systematically introduced to Japan through Korean scholars and diplomatic missions.