逆

Reverse, Opposite

Level 62

How this kanji evolved

Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.

The character 逆 has an ancient form depicting a person (亻) upside down or moving against the normal direction, combined with a road/path component (辵/辶). This composition visually represents 'going against' or 'contrary movement.' In Liushutong, L38398 shows an early seal script form that clearly contains the inverted person element facing against the direction of travel. Over time, the character evolved to its modern form 逆 while retaining its core meaning of 'reverse,' 'contrary,' or 'to disobey.' It conveys concepts of opposition, rebellion, and mathematical inversion. Arrived in Japan: The character 逆 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing systems, possibly through Buddhist texts and diplomatic exchanges. It became established in the Japanese writing system as a kanji character, pronounced 'gyaku' in Sino-Japanese readings, and was incorporated into early Japanese documents like the Manyoshu (8th century).

Reading reference

Onyomi (音読み)

ギャク

Kunyomi (訓読み)

さか

Related Vocabulary

逆
reverse, opposite, converse (of a hypothesis, etc.), inverse (function)
逆さま
inverted, upside down, reversed, back to front, wrong way round
逆らう
to go against, to oppose, to disobey, to defy
逆効果
opposite effect, adverse effect, backfiring
逆襲
counterattack
逆説
paradox