Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 迷 evolved from ancient pictographs representing confusion or being lost. In its earliest forms found in Liushutong, the character combined the radical 辵 (chuò), meaning 'to walk' or 'movement,' with 米 (mǐ), meaning 'rice.' This combination poetically suggests someone wandering through a field of rice stalks, unable to find their way out - a perfect metaphor for being lost or bewildered. Over centuries, the character simplified while retaining its core meaning of 'to lose one's way,' 'to be confused,' or 'to fascinate' (as in迷人 - fascinating person). The modern form 迷 clearly shows the walking radical 辶 derived from 辵, combined with 米, maintaining the original conceptual foundation. Arrived in Japan: The character 迷 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, when the Japanese writing system was developing and大量 importing Chinese characters (kanji) through Korean scribes and Buddhist texts. It became established as part of the standard kanji repertoire during the Nara period (710-794 CE) when systematic adoption of Chinese writing and culture accelerated.