Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 皮 originally depicted the action of peeling animal hide with a knife. In its earliest oracle bone and bronze script forms, it showed a hand holding a knife against an animal skin. Over time, this pictorial representation simplified into the modern 皮 character. The character's core meaning evolved from the specific action of skinning to encompass the concepts of 'skin,' 'hide,' 'leather,' and by extension, 'surface' or 'covering.' It also developed derived meanings such as 'superficial' and appears in many compound characters related to surface qualities. Arrived in Japan: The character 皮 was likely introduced to Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, along with the broader adoption of Chinese writing systems. It appears in early Japanese texts such as the Man'yōshū (8th century) and was incorporated into the Japanese writing system as a kanji character, retaining its core meanings related to skin, hide, and surface.