Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 起 evolved from ancient pictographs showing a person rising and starting to walk. In its earliest forms, it combined 走 (to run) with 己 (self), suggesting 'starting oneself into motion.' The character fundamentally means 'to rise,' 'to begin,' or 'to start.' Over centuries, the components became more stylized and integrated, with the 'walk/run' radical on the left and 'self' on the right solidifying in clerical and standard scripts. This evolution reflects the concept of self-initiated movement, both literally (getting up) and metaphorically (beginning something). Arrived in Japan: The character 起 arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, primarily through the introduction of Chinese writing systems via Korean peninsula scholars and Buddhist texts. It became established in Japan's writing system during the Asuka and Nara periods (6th-8th centuries) as part of the broader adoption of Chinese characters (kanji) for writing Japanese.