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The character 妻 (wife) evolved from ancient pictographs showing a woman with long hair being touched or arranged by a hand, symbolizing marriage where a woman's hair was styled upon wedlock. In bronze inscriptions, it clearly depicts a woman (女) with a hand (又) touching her hair. The character represents the formal taking of a wife and embodies the concept of matrimony in traditional Chinese society. Arrived in Japan: The character 妻 arrived in Japan during the Yayoi period (300 BCE - 300 CE) through cultural exchange with China, but became systematically established with the introduction of Chinese writing systems in the 5th century CE during the Kofun period, alongside other Chinese characters via Korean scholars and Buddhist texts.