jiǔ
long time (ago)
Original meaning:
arrow nock
Depicts an arrow nock. The nock is the part of an arrow that is held against the bowstring before being launched. Based on the original meaning "arrow nock", now written as 氒. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
Evolution

Seal script
Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical script
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)Regular script
ModernDefinitions
Most common words with 久
Freq. | Word | Meaning |
---|---|---|
(long) time | ||
how long? | ||
soon | ||
quite a while | ||
(for a) long time |
Component uses
Meaning component in 1 character (0 verified)
Sources
季旭昇《說文新證》p.480-481