Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 割 evolved from ancient pictographs representing the action of cutting or dividing. In its earliest forms found in bronze inscriptions, it depicted a knife (刀) cutting into an object, often an animal sacrifice or container. The modern form combines 害 (harm, damage) with 刀 (knife/blade), creating the meaning 'to cut apart, divide, or separate.' This character embodies the concept of division - both physical (cutting objects) and abstract (dividing territory, allocating resources). Over centuries, it developed extended meanings including 'to assign,' 'to analyze,' and mathematical division. The character's evolution reflects how ancient cutting rituals transformed into complex administrative and mathematical concepts in Chinese civilization. Arrived in Japan: The character 割 was likely introduced to Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, part of the massive cultural transmission of Chinese writing system and literature through Korean peninsula intermediaries. It appears in early Japanese texts like the Kojiki (712 CE) and Manyoshu (8th century), where it was used both for its meaning and in phonetic applications. The character became fully integrated into Japanese writing, retaining its core meaning of division while also developing unique Japanese readings (waru) and usages in the Japanese language.