古 gǔ — ancient, old · English

古

gǔ

ancient, old

At a glance · 古

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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.

甲骨文、金文从十从口，会意以口传述旧事（十表多），本指往昔。隶楷作「古」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「古」本指过去的时代，与「今」相对。

Structure

会意字，从十从口，口传旧事为古。

At a glance

Pinyingǔ

Radical口

Strokes5

UnicodeU+53E4

Character type会意

Theme时间

Six languages, one character

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

English ancient, old Ancient, old, of the past.

Français ancien, vieux Ancien, vieux, du passé.

Español antiguo, viejo Antiguo, viejo, del pasado.

العربية قديم، أثري قديم أو أثري أو سالف.

Русский древний, старый Древний, старый, прошлый.

Common words

古代gǔ dàiancient
古gǔold

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