Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 長 (cháng/zhǎng) originally depicted an elderly person with long hair, leaning on a staff. In oracle bone script, it showed a person with flowing hair, emphasizing the concept of 'long' or 'elder.' Over time, the character evolved through bronze script, seal script, and clerical script before reaching its modern form. The core meanings developed around both physical length (長い) and seniority/growth (長ける), reflecting how age brings both long life and authority. Arrived in Japan: The character 長 arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, primarily through the introduction of Chinese writing systems via Korean peninsula. It was systematically adopted during the Asuka period (538-710 CE) as part of the broader cultural exchange that brought Chinese characters (kanji) to Japan, appearing in early Japanese texts like the Kojiki (712 CE) and Nihon Shoki (720 CE).