Why do so many kanjis express idea of "hiding": 隠、　覆、　忍、　匿、　潜?


All these kanjis have word that contain aspect of hiding or concealing in
their meaning: 隠、 忍、 匿、 潜. My head is spinning. Some are used in verbs others
are used in compound words. Why do we need so many characters for the same
idea?




Kanji are just a representation for (Old Chinese) words, so your question
would be "Why were there so many Chinese words for hiding/concealing"?

Looking up the characters on wiktionary, their meanings are given as (just a
selection):

  * forbear, stifle, hold back
  * hide, conceal
  * cover
  * shield, cover up
  * shelter

Why are there so many English words for hiding/concealing? ;)

