Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 送 (sòng) evolved from ancient pictographs depicting the concept of 'sending' or 'escorting.' In its earliest forms found in oracle bone script, it combined the radical 辵 (chuò), representing movement or walking, with other elements suggesting the act of sending someone off. By the bronze script period, the character became more standardized, showing a person walking alongside another, emphasizing the meaning of accompanying or seeing someone off. In small seal script, the structure was refined into the modern form we recognize today, maintaining the 辵 radical on the left and 关 on the right. Throughout Chinese history, 送 has consistently meant 'to send,' 'to deliver,' 'to escort,' or 'to see off,' reflecting the enduring concept of transferring something or someone from one place to another. Arrived in Japan: The character 送 arrived in Japan during the 5th to 6th centuries CE, along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing system (kanji) through Buddhist scriptures, Confucian classics, and other cultural exchanges. It was formally adopted into the Japanese writing system and appears in early Japanese texts such as the Man'yōshū (8th century), where it was used both for its meaning and sometimes as a phonetic character. The Japanese reading 'sō' (onyomi) preserves the Chinese-derived pronunciation, while the kun'yomi readings 'okuru' developed for native Japanese words with similar meanings.