Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 初 originally depicted a person using a knife to cut cloth, symbolizing the beginning of garment-making. Composed of 衣 (clothing) and 刀 (knife), it represents the first cut when creating clothes - the fundamental starting point. Over centuries, this concrete meaning expanded to represent all types of beginnings, starts, and initial phases, becoming one of the most important characters for expressing the concept of 'first' or 'beginning' in Chinese. Arrived in Japan: The character 初 arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, introduced alongside the broader Chinese writing system through cultural exchange with Korean peninsular states and direct contact with Chinese envoys. It was formally adopted into the Japanese writing system during the Asuka period (538-710 CE) when Japan systematically imported Chinese characters and Buddhist texts.