Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
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The character 奥 (ào) originally depicted a deep, secluded area inside a house. Its earliest forms in oracle bone and bronze inscriptions show a roof radical (宀) over various elements representing depth or interior space. The character evolved to mean 'profound,' 'abstruse,' or 'inner room,' reflecting the concept of something deep and mysterious. In Japanese, it retains similar meanings of 'interior,' 'heart,' 'core,' or 'profound mystery,' and is used in words like 奥様 (okusan - wife/housewife) and 奥深い (okubukai - profound). Arrived in Japan: The character 奥 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing systems, either directly from China or via the Korean peninsula. It would have been included in early Chinese character dictionaries and Buddhist texts that were imported during the Asuka and Nara periods, becoming established in the Japanese writing system as part of the kanji adopted during this cultural exchange.