Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 覆 has an ancient origin meaning 'to cover', 'to overturn', or 'to capsize'. Its earliest forms in Liushutong show a pictographic representation of a vessel being overturned. The character evolved from Oracle Bone Script to Bronze Script, where it combined the radical 西 (originally depicting a covered jar) with 復 (meaning to return or repeat), suggesting the action of turning something over so it returns upside down. Over centuries, the character maintained its core meanings of covering and overturning, appearing in classical texts describing everything from overturned carriages to concealed truths. Arrived in Japan: The character 覆 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing systems, possibly through Buddhist sutras and Confucian classics brought by Korean scholars and Chinese immigrants. It appears in early Japanese documents like the Manyoshu (8th century) and was incorporated into the Japanese writing system during the Nara period (710-794 CE).