Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 郡 (jùn) originally depicted a region or administrative district in ancient China. Its composition combines 君 (jūn, meaning 'ruler' or 'lord') with 阝(the 'mound' or 'terrain' radical on the right). This combination symbolizes 'land ruled by a lord' or 'territory under authority.' In the Liushutong, L22251 shows an early form where the elements are clearly recognizable but arranged differently than the modern standardized form. Over time, the character evolved through various script styles (bronze script, seal script, clerical script) before settling into its current楷书 (regular script) form. The meaning has remained consistent as an administrative division, similar to a county or prefecture. Arrived in Japan: The character 郡 arrived in Japan during the Yamato period, likely between the 5th and 6th centuries CE, as part of the broader introduction of Chinese writing and culture. It was formally adopted into the Japanese writing system and is used in the modern administrative division system (gun/郡) for counties or districts, as well as in place names. The character's reading in Japanese is 'gun' in on'yomi (Chinese reading) and 'kōri' in some kun'yomi (Japanese reading) contexts.