Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 脚 is a phono-semantic compound, formed during the era of Small Seal Script in China. Its semantic component is the radical 肉 (月, "niku"), which denotes "flesh" or "the body." The phonetic component is 却 (kyaku), which provides both its sound and a contributory meaning of "to retreat" or "to withdraw." This combination creates the meaning of the fleshy, supporting limbs used for movement and retreat—the legs. Historically, 脚 evolved from ancient forms and was standardized in the Small Seal Script, later becoming the clerical script (隷書) and finally the modern kaisho (楷書) form used today. It is crucial to distinguish 脚 from the similar kanji 足 (ashi). While both can mean "leg" or "foot," 足 often refers to the foot and lower leg, or the concept of sufficiency, whereas 脚 more specifically denotes the entire leg as a structural support pillar, such as the leg of a person, animal, or even a table (e.g., 机の脚, tsukue no kyaku). The character, along with the vast majority of the Japanese writing system, was introduced to Japan from China between the 5th and 6th centuries CE, primarily via the Korean Peninsula. It was adopted into the Japanese language as part of the on'yomi (Sino-Japanese reading) vocabulary, with the reading "kyaku." This character is a classic example of a kokuji (国字) in reverse; it is not a character made in Japan, but its specific and primary meaning of "leg" is a Japanese semantic specialization. In Chinese, 脚 (jiǎo) more commonly means "foot," demonstrating how Japan adopted the character but narrowed and refined its core meaning to refer to the entire limb.