体

Body

Level 29

How this kanji evolved

Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.

The character 体 evolved from ancient forms representing the human body. In Liushutong, L14027 shows a composition of 骨 (bone) with 豊 (abundance), emphasizing the physical structure. Over time, it simplified to the modern form 体, which combines 人 (person) with 本 (origin/base), symbolizing 'the fundamental aspect of a person' or 'the physical body.' The character carries meanings of body, substance, form, and essence, reflecting the Chinese philosophical view of the body as the tangible manifestation of one's being. Arrived in Japan: The character 体 arrived in Japan during the Yayoi period (300 BCE - 300 CE) or early Kofun period (300-538 CE) through cultural exchange with China, likely brought via Korean peninsula. It was systematically introduced along with other Chinese characters during the 5th-6th centuries when Japanese scholars began studying Chinese writing systems more formally.

Reading reference

Onyomi (音読み)

タイ

Kunyomi (訓読み)

からだ

Related Vocabulary

遺体
(dead) body, corpse, remains
一体
(what) the heck, (why) in the world, (who) on earth, (where) the hell, (how) the hell, one object, one body, one unit, one group, one mass, one form, one style
液体
liquid
抗体
antibody
死体
dead body, corpse, cadaver, carcass
斜体
oblique type, slanted type, division ring, skew field
身体
body, physical system, (the) person
船体
hull
総体的
overall, general
体
body, torso, trunk, build, physique, frame, figure, health, constitution