Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
Historical forms are not available yet. The current form is shown as a reference.
The kanji 遅 is classified as a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). Its modern form combines the semantic component 辶 (辵), the "movement" radical denoting walking or progression, with the phonetic component 犀. Historically, the character's composition is more complex. The original ancient form, found on oracle bones and bronze inscriptions, depicted a figure (大 or 人) being followed by a hand (又 or ナ) and a sheep (羊), collectively creating the idea of "lagging behind" or being "slow to arrive." This character underwent significant simplification and evolution. The seal script form solidified the structure that led to the modern 遅, standardizing the radical and phonetic elements. The original complex pictographic idea was abstracted into the phono-semantic structure. The phonetic component 犀, which itself means "rhinoceros," was chosen for its sound rather than its meaning, providing the approximate pronunciation. This character, along with the broader Chinese writing system, was introduced to Japan in waves, primarily from the 5th to 8th centuries via cultural exchange with the Korean peninsula and direct contact with China, through artifacts like bronze mirrors, seals, and Buddhist texts. An important linguistic note is the existence of the kyūjitai (old character form) 遲, which more clearly shows the phonetic element 犀. The modern Japanese shinjitai 遅 simplifies this by replacing 犀 with 尸 and 羊. The core concept of slowness, both in terms of speed (slow) and time (late), has remained consistent from its ancient origins. This dual meaning is preserved in Japanese vocabulary, such as 遅い (osoi, slow/late) and 遅刻 (chikoku, lateness).