Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 深 (shēn) evolved from ancient pictographs representing water depth. Its earliest forms in oracle bone script depicted water (氵) flowing through a cavern or deep place, combined with elements suggesting measurement or profundity. By the Liushutong period, the character stabilized into a form recognizable as modern 深, consisting of the water radical (氵) on the left and 罙 on the right. The character fundamentally means 'deep' - originally referring to physical depth of water, then expanding metaphorically to describe profound knowledge, deep colors, intense feelings, and abstract depth of any kind. Arrived in Japan: The character 深 arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, primarily through the introduction of Chinese writing systems and Buddhist texts. It was adopted into Japanese as the kanji 深, with readings including 'fuka(i)' for the native Japanese reading and 'shin' for the Sino-Japanese reading. The character appears in early Japanese texts such as the Man'yōshū (8th century) and was fully integrated into the Japanese writing system by the Heian period (794-1185).