Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 及 originally depicted a hand (又) reaching from behind to touch a person (人), representing the meaning 'to reach' or 'to attain.' In ancient bronze inscriptions, the composition clearly shows a person being touched from behind by a hand. This evolved to signify extending to, reaching a point, or involving others, giving rise to meanings like 'and,' 'as well as,' and 'in time.' The character's form simplified over time from the pictorial representation to the modern 及, but maintained the core concept of one thing reaching another. Arrived in Japan: The character 及 likely arrived in Japan during the early waves of Chinese character adoption, around the 5th-6th centuries CE, when Chinese writing and Buddhist texts were introduced to Japan via Korean peninsula. It appears in early Japanese texts like the Kojiki (712 CE) and Nihon Shoki (720 CE), indicating it was among the characters adopted during the initial systematization of writing in Japan.