Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 矢 depicts an arrow, a pictograph of an arrowhead with a shaft and fletching. In ancient oracle bone script, it clearly showed the arrowhead and feathers. Its core meaning is 'arrow,' but it also extended to mean 'to vow' or 'oath' (as in 矢誓), likely because an arrow, once shot, cannot be taken back, symbolizing an unbreakable promise. It is also used phonetically in characters like 知 (know) and 医 (medicine). Arrived in Japan: The character 矢, along with the broader Chinese writing system, is believed to have arrived in Japan around the 5th century AD, likely through the Korean Peninsula via cultural exchanges, gifts, and scholars.