The modern form of け comes from the cursive form of the kanji 計 (け (い), ke(i), i.e.: “plan”, “measure”, etc.). Follow the progression of the different scripts shown in Figures 1 to 3 to understand its origin.

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Figure 1. Standard script (楷書, かいしょ, kaisho) of the kanji 計. Calligraphy by 品天龍涙 (ぽんてりゅうるい, Ponte Ryūrui), ink on paper.

Figure 2. Semi-cursive script (行書, ぎょうしょ, gyōsho) of the kanji 計. Calligraphy by 品天龍涙 (ぽんてりゅうるい, Ponte Ryūrui), ink on paper.

figure_3_4_hiragana_ke-horz

Figure 3. Cursive script (草書, そうしょ, sōsho) of the kanji 計. Calligraphy by 品天龍涙 (ぽんてりゅうるい, Ponte Ryūrui), ink on paper.

Figure 4. Calligraphy of the hiragana character け Note the corresponding shape with the cursive form of the character 計 (Figure 3). Calligraphy by 品天龍涙 (ぽんてりゅうるい, Ponte Ryūrui), ink on paper.

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Figure 5. The word いけ (ike, i.e. “pond”) written in Japanese kana (かな) script. The hiragana character い is based on the cursive form of the kanji 以 (い, i, i.e. “by means of”, “because of”, etc.), which was explained in this article. Calligraphy by 品天龍涙 (ぽんてりゅうるい, Ponte Ryūrui), ink on paper.