秋 qiū — autumn · English

秋

qiū

autumn

At a glance · 秋

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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.

秋字小篆从禾𤎫省声，为形声字；本义为禾谷成熟之季。甲骨文象蟋蟀或禾穗火形。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

秋本义为秋季，庄稼成熟的时节。

Structure

形声字，左部『禾』为意符表谷物，右部表声。

At a glance

Pinyinqiū

Radical禾

Strokes9

UnicodeU+79CB

Character type形声

Theme自然

Six languages, one character

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

English autumn Qiu is a phonetic-semantic character meaning autumn, the season when grain ripens.

Français automne Qiu est un caractère phonético-sémantique signifiant l'automne, la saison où le grain mûrit.

Español otoño Qiu es un carácter fonosemántico que significa otoño, la estación en que madura el grano.

العربية الخريف تشيو حرف صوتي دلالي يعني الخريف، موسم نضج الحبوب.

Русский осень Цю — фоносемантический знак, означающий осень, время созревания зерна.

Common words

秋天qiū tiānautumn
秋季qiū jìfall

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