Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 乙 (yǐ) is one of the oldest Chinese characters, dating back to oracle bone script. Originally, it depicted a sprouting plant struggling to emerge from the earth, symbolizing difficulty and tenacity. Over time, its meaning expanded to become the second of the Ten Heavenly Stems in Chinese calendrical systems. In modern usage, it can mean 'second', 'twist', or appears as a radical in other characters. The character's simple, curved form has remained remarkably consistent from ancient bronze inscriptions to its current form. Arrived in Japan: The character 乙 arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing systems. It was adopted into Japanese as 'otsu' (second in rank) in the iroha ordering system and appears in early Japanese texts like the Kojiki (712 CE) and Nihon Shoki (720 CE).