Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 射 (shoot) originally depicted a hand drawing a bow to shoot an arrow. In its earliest oracle bone script form, it showed a bow (弓) with an arrow and hand. Over time, the character evolved through bronze script and seal script periods, eventually simplifying to its current form. The character carries meanings of shooting, projecting, and sending forth, extending metaphorically to concepts like radiation and injection. Arrived in Japan: The character 射 arrived in Japan during the Yayoi period (300 BCE - 300 CE) through cultural exchange with China, likely brought by scholars and immigrants along with other Chinese characters. It was formally systematized in Japan during the Asuka period (538-710 CE) when the Japanese court actively imported Chinese writing and culture.