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The character 失 originally depicted a hand (手) letting something slip or drop. In its earliest oracle bone script forms, it showed a hand with lines indicating something falling away. Over time, it evolved through bronze script and seal script into the modern form. The character fundamentally means 'to lose,' 'to miss,' or 'to err,' capturing the concept of something slipping from one's grasp - whether literally dropping an object or metaphorically missing an opportunity. Arrived in Japan: The character 失 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing systems, either directly from China or via the Korean peninsula. It was incorporated into the Japanese writing system as part of the kanji imported during the Asuka and Nara periods, when Japan was systematically adopting Chinese cultural and administrative practices.