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The character 阿 originally depicted a mound or large earthen bank (阜/阝 radical) with a bend or curve, combined with 可 which may have represented a protective shelter or resting place against the slope. In ancient China, it evolved to mean 'a bend in a mountain' or 'a slope,' and later took on meanings of 'flatter' or 'praise' (as in 阿谀 - to flatter), and 'prefix for intimate names' (as in 阿妈 - mother). It also appears in Buddhist translations for 'A-' sounds, such as 阿弥陀佛 (Amitābha Buddha). Arrived in Japan: The character 阿 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the introduction of Chinese writing systems, possibly through Buddhist scriptures and Chinese classical texts brought by Korean scholars or Japanese envoys to China.