Invented at Denso Wave Japan in 1994 — global standard 30 years later
In the early 1990s, Toyota relied on standard barcodes for tracking automotive parts within its factories. However, the extensive range of components required multiple barcodes to be attached to each box, resulting in significant delays due to the prolonged scanning process. Recognizing this inefficiency, the team led by Denso Wave engineer Masahiro Hara was given a crucial assignment: to create "a new code that could be read quickly and efficiently in a single scan."
During a lunch break, Hara was playing Go when he found inspiration in the game's black-and-white grid pattern, which efficiently represents complex information in a simple form. In 1994, the QR code was unveiled, featuring three distinct position detection patterns (also known as finder patterns) strategically placed at the corners of a square. This innovative design allowed a single QR code to store a remarkable 7,089 numerical characters or 4,296 alphanumeric characters—a capacity approximately 350 times greater than that of a conventional barcode.
Denso Wave made the strategic decision to retain ownership of the patent but not to charge royalties for its use. This meant anyone could freely create and utilize QR codes without incurring licensing fees. This forward-thinking decision proved to be the critical factor in the technology's explosive global adoption three decades later. By 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, QR codes experienced a massive surge, becoming a global standard for contactless payments and digital menus. Major applications, including South Korea's vaccine authentication system and China's WeChat Pay, all relied on the open standard originally released by Denso Wave.
The Hanja character "迅 (xùn)" combines "辶 (chuo)" meaning "to run" with "卂 (xùn)" meaning "fast," together signifying "to run quickly." This character is found in words like 'swiftness' (迅速). The phonetic 'shin' also appears in 'signal' (信號) and 'trust' (信賴), all conveying a sense of quickness or reliability. The very essence of QR (Quick Response) is thus perfectly encapsulated in this single Hanja character. It stands as a compelling example of a technology developed in the East transforming the world, expressed in a form that Eastern characters articulate most effectively.
Would you like a quick tour of how to learn idioms through music? It only takes a minute!