返

返 U+8FD4, 返 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-8FD4 ← 迓 [U+8FD3] CJK Unified Ideographs 迕 → [U+8FD5]

Translingual

Han character

返 (radical 162, 辵+4, 8 strokes in traditional Chinese and Korean, 7 strokes in simplified Chinese and Japanese, cangjie input 卜竹水 (YHE), four-corner 3130₄ or 3230₄, composition ⿺辶反)

References

• KangXi: page 1254, character 14
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 38758
• Dae Jaweon: page 1737, character 7
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 6, page 3820, character 1
• Unihan data for U+8FD4

---

Chinese

trad.		返
simp. #		返
alternative forms		𢓉 翻 (faan1) Cantonese 番 (faan1) Cantonese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 返
Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions	Chu Slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (反) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
扳	*praːn, *pʰraːn
板	*praːnʔ
版	*praːnʔ
瓪	*praːnʔ, *paːnʔ
昄	*praːnʔ, *braːnʔ, *paːnʔ
鈑	*praːnʔ
蝂	*praːnʔ
眅	*pʰraːn, *pʰraːnʔ
阪	*braːnʔ, *panʔ
魬	*braːnʔ
粄	*paːnʔ
反	*panʔ, *pʰan
返	*panʔ
坂	*panʔ
畈	*pans
販	*pans
汳	*pʰans
飯	*bonʔ, *bons

Etymology

See 反 (OC *panʔ, *pʰan).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): fǎn (fan³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄈㄢˇ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou, Jyutping): faan², faan¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): fan¹

• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): fán
• Min Nan (POJ): hoán

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: fǎn
    • Zhuyin: ㄈㄢˇ
    • Wade–Giles: fan3
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: faan
    • Tongyong Pinyin: fǎn
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fän²¹⁴/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: faan², faan¹
    • Yale: fáan, fāan
    • Cantonese Pinyin: faan², faan¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: fan², fan¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fäːn³⁵/, /fäːn⁵⁵/

Note:

• faan2 - literary;
• faan1 - colloquial.

• (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  • Wiktionary: fan¹
  • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fan³³/

Hakka

• (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fán
  • Hakka Romanization System: fan`
  • Hagfa Pinyim: fan³
  • Sinological IPA: /fan³¹/

Min Nan

• (Hokkien)
  • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hoán
  • Tâi-lô: huán
  • Phofsit Daibuun: hoarn
  • IPA (Xiamen): /huan⁵³/
  • IPA (Quanzhou): /huan⁵⁵⁴/
  • IPA (Zhangzhou): /huan⁵³/
  • IPA (Taipei): /huan⁵³/
  • IPA (Kaohsiung): /huan⁴¹/

---

• Middle Chinese: /pʉɐn^X/

Rime
Character	返
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	幫 (1)
Final (韻)	元 (66)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	府遠切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/pʉɐnX/
Pan Wuyun	/pʷiɐnX/
Shao Rongfen	/piuɐnX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/puanX/
Li Rong	/piuɐnX/
Wang Li	/pĭwɐnX/
Bernard Karlgren	/pi̯wɐnX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	fǎn

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*Cə.panʔ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*panʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	返
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	fǎn
Middle Chinese	‹ pjonX ›
Old Chinese	/*Cə.panʔ/
English	return
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	返
Reading #	1/1
No.	2969
Phonetic component	反
Rime group	元
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	反
Old Chinese	/*panʔ/

Definitions

返

1. to return (to); to come or go back (to)
   • 返鄉下 / 返乡下 [Cantonese]  ―  faan¹ hoeng¹ haa^6-2 [Jyutping]  ―  to go back to one's hometown
   • 返屋企 [Cantonese]  ―  faan¹ uk¹ kei^5-2 [Jyutping]  ―  to go home

   alt. forms: 反 (fǎn)

2. to return; to give back

   alt. forms: 反 (fǎn)

3. (Cantonese) to go to
   • 返工 [Cantonese]  ―  faan¹ gung¹ [Jyutping]  ―  to go to work
   • 返學 / 返学 [Cantonese]  ―  faan¹ hok⁶ [Jyutping]  ―  to go to school
4. (Cantonese) back
   • 擠返 / 挤返 [Cantonese]  ―  zai¹ faan¹ [Jyutping]  ―  to put back; to return
   • 換返件衫 / 换返件衫 [Cantonese]  ―  wun⁶ faan¹ gin⁶ saam¹ [Jyutping]  ―  to change back one's clothes
   • 打返 [Cantonese]  ―  daa² faan¹ [Jyutping]  ―  to return a hit; to hit back
   • 救唔返 [Cantonese]  ―  gau³ m⁴ faan¹ [Jyutping]  ―  unable to be saved: unsalvageable, beyond hope, etc.
   • 諗返舊陣時 / 谂返旧阵时 [Cantonese]  ―  nam² faan¹ gau⁶ zan⁶ si^4-2 [Jyutping]  ―  thinking back to older times
   • 去返轉頭 / 去返转头 [Cantonese]  ―  heoi³ faan¹ zyun³ tau⁴ [Jyutping]  ―  to go back; to turn around
   • 搵返 / 揾返 [Cantonese]  ―  wan² faan¹ [Jyutping]  ―  to find (something that was lost)
   • 整返好 [Cantonese]  ―  zing² faan¹ hou² [Jyutping]  ―  to repair; to fix
   • 好返 [Cantonese]  ―  hou² faan¹ [Jyutping]  ―  to recover (from an illness)
   • 開始喐返 / 开始喐返 [Cantonese]  ―  hoi¹ ci² juk¹ faan¹ [Jyutping]  ―  to start to move again
5. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
   • 沖返個涼 / 冲返个凉 [Cantonese]  ―  cung¹ faan¹ go³ loeng⁴ [Jyutping]  ―  to enjoy a shower

   • 得閒仲係鍾意飲返兩杯。 [Cantonese, trad.]
     得闲仲系钟意饮返两杯。 [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 開放詞典 [Kaifang Cidian]

     Dak¹ haan⁴ zung⁶ hai⁶ zung¹ ji³ jam² faan¹ loeng⁵ bui¹. [Jyutping]

     When I have time, downing two glasses is always the best.

   • 剩返兩粒飯 / 剩返两粒饭 [Cantonese]  ―  zing⁶ faan¹ loeng⁵ lap¹ faan⁶ [Jyutping]  ―  to have only two grains of rice left

   • 剩返地理未考完 [Cantonese, trad. and simp.]

     From: 開放詞典 [Kaifang Cidian]

     zing⁶ faan¹ dei⁶ lei⁵ mei⁶ haau² jyun⁴ [Jyutping]

     I have just the Geography test left

Synonyms

• (to return):

Dialectal synonyms of 回 (“to return; to come or go back to”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		回, 歸
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		回
Mandarin	Beijing	回
	Taiwan	回
	Chengdu	轉, 回
	Malaysia	回
	Singapore	回
Cantonese	Guangzhou	返
	Hong Kong	返
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	返
	Taishan	返
	Kuala Lumpur	返
	Singapore	返
Hakka	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	轉
	Liudui (S. Sixian)	歸
	Hsinchu (Hailu)	轉
	Dongshi (Dabu)	轉
	Hsinchu (Raoping)	轉
	Yunlin (Zhao'an)	轉
Min Nan	Xiamen	轉
	Quanzhou	轉
	Zhangzhou	轉
	Taipei	轉
	Kaohsiung	轉
	Tainan	轉
	Taichung	轉
	Hsinchu	轉
	Lukang	轉
	Sanxia	轉
	Yilan	轉
	Kinmen	轉
	Magong	轉
	Penang (Hokkien)	轉
	Singapore (Hokkien)	轉
	Chaozhou	轉
	Shantou	轉
	Haifeng	轉
	Singapore (Teochew)	轉
	Wenchang	轉
Wu	Wenzhou	走……轉

Compounds

• 一去不返 (yīqùbùfǎn)
• 七返九還／七返九还
• 不返
• 二返投唐
• 倦鳥知返／倦鸟知返
• 回光返照
• 廢然而返／废然而返
• 往返 (wǎngfǎn)
• 徒勞往返／徒劳往返
• 慈烏返哺／慈乌返哺
• 折返 (zhéfǎn)
• 樂而忘返／乐而忘返
• 流連忘返／流连忘返 (liúliánwàngfǎn)
• 無功而返／无功而返 (wúgōng'érfǎn)
• 由博返約／由博返约
• 留連忘返／留连忘返
• 積重難返／积重难返 (jīzhòngnánfǎn)
• 覺返迷津／觉返迷津
• 返來／返来

• 返勾
• 返吟復吟／返吟复吟
• 返哺
• 返回 (fǎnhuí)
• 返國／返国 (fǎnguó)
• 返抵
• 返旆
• 返景
• 返本還原／返本还原
• 返棹
• 返正撥亂／返正拨乱
• 返潮 (fǎncháo)
• 返照 (fǎnzhào)
• 返照回光
• 返璞歸真／返璞归真 (fǎnpúguīzhēn)
• 返璧
• 返程
• 返老歸童／返老归童
• 返老還童／返老还童 (fǎnlǎohuántóng)

• 返航
• 返躬內省／返躬内省
• 返轡／返辔
• 返鄉／返乡 (fǎnxiāng)
• 返里
• 返防
• 返魂
• 返魂乏術／返魂乏术 (fǎnhúnfáshù)
• 返魂草
• 迴光返照／回光返照
• 迷而不返
• 迷而知返
• 迷途知返 (mítúzhīfǎn)
• 遣返 (qiǎnfǎn)
• 還元返本／还元返本
• 還淳返樸／还淳返朴
• 還珠返璧／还珠返璧
• 重返 (chóngfǎn)
• 駕返瑤池／驾返瑶池

---

Japanese

Kanji

返

(grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. to come back, to return, to go back to

Readings

• Go-on: ほん (hon)
• Kan-on: はん (han)
• Kan’yō-on: へん (hen, Jōyō)
• Kun: かえす (kaesu, 返す, Jōyō)^{←かへす (kafesu, historical)}; かえる (kaeru, 返る, Jōyō)^{←かへる (kaferu, historical)}

See also

• 返(かえ)る (kaeru)
• 返(かえ)す (kaesu)

---

Korean

Hanja

返 • (ban) (hangeul 반, revised ban, McCune–Reischauer pan, Yale pan)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

---

Vietnamese

Han character

返 (phản)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.