箋

piece of paper, tag

Kanji 2048

For millennia, humans have jotted down notes, and 箋 has long served that purpose. Find out which materials the ancient Chinese and Japanese wrote on before paper. Also learn terms for pieces of paper that serve various functions, from Post-its and stationery to prescriptions. As several images show in this illustration-packed essay, the word for "prescription" can be richly figurative.

Revision history:

Feb. 7, 2022: 

• p. 2, Etymology Box: Added a Henshall etymology and updated the Sears link.
• p. 3 sidebar: Removed Henshall’s analysis of the phonetic, as that is now fully explained in the Etymology Box.
• p. 15: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.

Apr. 29, 2016: Originally published.