Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 衰 originally depicted a type of raincoat made of straw or reeds in ancient China. In oracle bone script, it showed overlapping layers of material. Over time, the character evolved to mean 'decline', 'weaken', or 'deteriorate' - possibly because such straw coats would gradually wear out and decay with use. This represents a semantic shift from a concrete object to an abstract concept of gradual diminishment. The character is classified under the Liushutong system as a form that combines pictographic and phonetic elements. Arrived in Japan: The character 衰 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing system (kanji) through Buddhist texts and cultural exchange with the Korean peninsula and China. It appears in early Japanese documents from the Nara period (710-794 CE) and was incorporated into the Japanese writing system as a standard kanji character.