Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 支 originally depicted a hand (又) holding a branch (十), representing the meaning 'to support' or 'branch.' In ancient oracle bone and bronze inscriptions, it clearly showed this hand-and-branch composition. Over time, the character evolved through seal script to its modern form. The core meanings include 'to support,' 'branch,' 'limb,' and by extension 'to pay' (as in expenditure). It reflects the concept of something dividing from a main body while still being connected and supported. Arrived in Japan: The character 支 arrived in Japan during the early centuries CE, most systematically through the introduction of Chinese writing and Buddhist texts around the 5th-6th centuries. It was adopted as a kanji in the Japanese writing system with the same basic form and meanings, and is used in words like 支持 (shiji, support) and 支店 (shiten, branch office).