Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 加 originally depicted a hand (力) exerting force over a mouth (口), symbolizing the act of adding, increasing, or exaggerating through speech or action. In ancient oracle bone and bronze inscriptions, it showed clear pictorial elements of these two components. Over time, the forms simplified and standardized during the clerical script transformation in the Han dynasty, evolving into the modern regular script form 加. The character carries meanings of addition, increase, and enhancement, extending to concepts like 'plus,' 'join,' and 'apply.' Arrived in Japan: The character 加 arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the introduction of Chinese writing system through Korean scholars and Buddhist texts. It was incorporated into the Japanese writing system as part of the kanji characters and appears in early Japanese documents like the Kojiki (712 CE) and Nihon Shoki (720 CE).