Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 既 originally depicted a person kneeling before a food vessel, having finished eating and turning away, representing the concept of 'already completed' or 'since.' In its earliest oracle bone script form, it showed a person facing away from a full container of food. Over time, the character evolved through bronze script and seal script forms, eventually standardizing into the modern 既. The character carries meanings of completion, finality, and past action, and is used in words like 既然 (since) and 既成 (accomplished). Arrived in Japan: The character 既 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 a kanji during the period when Chinese characters were being systematically adopted for writing Japanese.