Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 蛇 (snake) evolved from ancient pictographs depicting a serpent. In oracle bone script, it appeared as a simple drawing of a snake with a distinct head and coiled body. By the bronze script period, the character became more stylized, showing the serpentine form with scales. The modern form 蛇 consists of the insect/creature radical 虫 (meaning small animal) combined with 它, which originally meant 'snake' itself. This reflects how ancient Chinese classified snakes as a type of creature. The character has maintained its core meaning of 'snake' throughout its evolution, though it also carries metaphorical meanings of danger, cunning, and transformation in Chinese culture. Arrived in Japan: The character 蛇 arrived in Japan during the Yayoi period (approximately 300 BCE - 300 CE) through cultural exchange with China, likely brought via the Korean peninsula along with other Chinese characters and cultural elements. It was formally incorporated into the Japanese writing system during the systematic adoption of Chinese characters that occurred from the 5th to 8th centuries CE, particularly during the Asuka and Nara periods when Japanese scholars studied Chinese texts intensively.