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The character 物 (wù) originally depicted a sacrificial ox, composed of 牛 (ox) and 勿 (which may represent the cutting of the ox or the sound). In ancient China, oxen were valuable sacrificial animals used in rituals. Over time, the meaning expanded from 'sacrificial animal' to 'thing' or 'object,' reflecting how concrete ritual objects gave rise to the abstract concept of 'matter' or 'things in general.' In Confucian philosophy, 物 came to represent all things in the universe that should be investigated and understood. Arrived in Japan: The character 物 arrived in Japan around the 5th-6th centuries CE during the period when Chinese writing and Buddhism were systematically introduced to Japan through Korean scribes and Chinese classics. It appears in early Japanese texts like the Kojiki (712 CE) and Manyoshu (8th century), where it was used both for its meaning and as part of the Japanese language's writing system.