jiù

old

Original meaning: 

type of owl

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "type of owl". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components
雈 meaning component

  Meaning component

huán

  

owl

臼 sound component

  Sound component

jiù

  

mortar

Evolution

舊 Oracle script (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)
舊 Bronze script Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze script

Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)
舊 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
舊 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

() 

jiù

old, ancient; former, past; old; opposite: new ; former; worn (with age)

Most common words with 舊
Freq.
Word
Meaning

old

依旧

as before

旧金山

San Francisco, California

仍旧

yet

怀旧

nostalgia