Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 屈 originally depicted a person with a tail entering a dwelling, suggesting the meaning of 'cramped' or 'bent.' In ancient Chinese, it evolved to represent bending, submission, or being forced to yield. The modern form combines 尸 (which can represent a person) with 出 (to go out), though historically it was more complex. It carries meanings of bending, submitting, or being wronged, as in 屈辱 (humiliation) or 屈折 (bending). Arrived in Japan: The character 屈 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing system through Buddhist texts and cultural exchange with Korea. It became part of the Japanese kanji repertoire and appears in early Japanese documents like the Manyoshu (8th century).