Mutual, Each Other

Interesting Fact

Here’s the surprising part: 互 did not originally mean “each other.” According to 漢字ペディア, its ancient form was shaped like a tool for winding rope. The character was originally related to 䇘, meaning a rope-winding implement, and its meaning later shifted to “each other” or “mutually.” So when you see 互, you’re actually looking at a character whose history began with rope being wound back and forth—a surprisingly fitting image for something that eventually came to express interaction between two sides.