Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 充 evolved from ancient pictographs depicting a person with something significant at their feet or carrying something important. In its earliest forms in oracle bone script, it showed a human figure with an emphasized lower portion, suggesting fullness or completion. By the small seal script period, it took a more standardized form with the 儿 (human legs) radical below and 亠 (lid) above, conveying the meaning of 'to fill,' 'to supply,' or 'to act as.' The character carries connotations of abundance, fulfillment, and serving in a capacity - whether filling a role or supplying needs. This evolution from concrete human representation to abstract concepts of plenitude and function reflects how Chinese characters developed from pictorial to philosophical expressions. Arrived in Japan: The character 充 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing system through Buddhist texts and diplomatic exchanges. It became established in the Japanese writing system as part of the kanji imported during the Asuka and Nara periods, and appears in early Japanese documents like the Manyoshu poetry anthology from the 8th century.