巨 jù — huge, great · English

巨

jù

huge, great

At a glance · 巨

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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。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

巨字甲骨文象木工方尺（矩）之形，本义为规矩、巨大；后加木作『矩』，巨专表大。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

巨本义为规矩，后表巨大、大。

Structure

巨为象形字，描摹曲尺之形，后借以表巨大。

At a glance

Pinyinjù

Radical工

Strokes5

UnicodeU+5DE8

Character type象形

Theme器物

Six languages, one character

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

English huge, great Ju was originally a pictograph of a carpenter's square and later meant huge and great.

Français énorme, grand Ju était à l'origine un pictogramme de l'équerre du charpentier et a ensuite signifié énorme et grand.

Español enorme, grande Ju era originalmente un pictograma de la escuadra del carpintero y luego significó enorme y grande.

العربية ضخم، كبير جو كان في الأصل رسماً لمربع النجار ثم عنى ضخم وكبير.

Русский огромный, великий Цзюй изначально было пиктограммой угольника плотника и позже стало означать огромный.

Common words

巨大jù dàhuge
巨石jù shíboulder

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