Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
Historical forms are not available yet. The current form is shown as a reference.
The character 却 (què) originates from ancient China and is composed of two parts: 去 (to go, to leave) and 卩 (a kneeling figure, symbolizing a person). This structure conveys the core meaning of 'to retreat,' 'to decline,' or 'to step back.' In its earliest forms found in Liushutong, the character appeared with more pictographic and variant shapes, but it consistently preserved the idea of movement away from something. Over time, the script evolved and standardized into the modern form 却, which is used to express concepts of refusal, withdrawal, or an adversative conjunction meaning 'however.' Arrived in Japan: The character 却 was likely introduced to Japan during the early waves of cultural exchange, most prominently in the Nara period (710-794 AD) or Heian period (794-1185 AD), when Japan systematically imported Chinese writing, literature, and Buddhist texts. It was adopted into the Japanese writing system as a kanji, read with On'yomi (Sino-Japanese) readings such as 'kyaku' and Kun'yomi (native Japanese) readings like 'kaeru' or 'shiri-zoku,' carrying meanings of retreat, refusal, or reversal.