Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 除 originally depicted a 'mound' or 'earthen slope' (阜/阝 radical on the left) combined with an element representing 'remaining' or 'surplus' (余 on the right). In ancient China, it meant 'to remove' or 'to eliminate' - literally taking earth away from a mound. Over time, it evolved to mean 'except', 'excluding', or 'to get rid of'. The character also developed mathematical meanings related to division and calculation. The Liushutong form shows an early variant where the components are more pictographic, with the earthen mound clearly visible and the right component showing a simpler form of what would become 余. Arrived in Japan: The character 除 arrived in Japan during the Yayoi period (300 BCE - 300 CE) through cultural exchange with China, but became systematically established during the Asuka period (538-710 CE) when the Japanese court officially adopted Chinese writing systems and Buddhist texts, which frequently used this character.