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The character 肌 (skin) evolved from ancient Chinese pictographs representing human flesh or skin. The left radical 月 (肉) indicates its connection to the body, while the right component 几 originally depicted a small table but evolved phonetically. In Liushutong (六书通), L02377 shows an early form where the flesh radical is clearly distinguishable, emphasizing that 肌 specifically refers to human skin, as opposed to 皮 which refers to animal hide. The character embodies the concept of the body's surface and has maintained this core meaning throughout its evolution. Arrived in Japan: The character 肌 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing system (kanji) through Korean peninsula and direct cultural exchanges with China. It was incorporated into the Japanese language as part of the early wave of kanji adoption that formed the foundation of Japanese written language.