京 jīng — capital city · English

京

jīng

capital city

At a glance · 京

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「京」甲骨文象高丘上建亭，金文小篆承之。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「京」本义为高丘、大（京师），引申京城、国都。

Structure

象形字，象高台建筑，本为高丘、大，指都城。

At a glance

Pinyinjīng

Radical亠

Strokes8

UnicodeU+4EAC

Character type象形

Theme建筑

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English capital city capital city

Français capitale Capitale. «东西二京» : les deux métropoles.

Español capital Capital. «东西二京»: las dos metrópolis.

العربية عاصمة عاصمة. «东西二京»: المتروبوليتان.

Русский столица Столица. «东西二京»: две метрополии.

Common words

北京běi jīngBeijing
京城jīng chéngcapital

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