返

返 (Kangxi 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)

• Kangxi Dictionary: 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

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *panʔ) and ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): semantic 辶 (“movement”) + phonetic 反 (OC *panʔ, *pʰan, “to return”). It originally conveyed the meaning of "to return along the path one came from" and, by extension, came to signify the idea of "to restore" or "to revert."^[1]

See 反 (OC *panʔ, *pʰan).

返

1. to return (to); to come or go back (to)

   返京  ―  fǎn Jīng  ―  to return to Beijing

   流連忘返／流连忘返  ―  liúliánwàngfǎn  ―  to linger and be reluctant to leave

2. to return; to give back

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Derived from the Jiyun 孚袁切 reading of 返? Or is it actually 翻?”)

返 (Cantonese)

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 kei² [Jyutping]  ―  to go home

2. 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

   返教會／返教会 [Cantonese]  ―  faan¹ gaau³ wui^6-2 [Jyutping]  ―  to go to church

   返part-time [Hong Kong Cantonese]  ―  faan¹ paat^1- taam¹ [Jyutping]  ―  to work part-time

   佢今日有冇返呀？ [Cantonese, trad. and simp.]

   keoi⁵ gam¹ jat⁶ jau⁵ mou⁵ faan¹ aa³? [Jyutping]

   Did he go to school/work today?

3. back, returning to a previous state

   擠返喺嗰度／挤返喺嗰度 [Cantonese]  ―  zai¹ faan¹ hai² go² dou⁶ [Jyutping]  ―  to put (something) back there

   換返件衫／换返件衫 [Cantonese]  ―  wun⁶ faan¹ gin⁶ saam¹ [Jyutping]  ―  to change back one's clothes

   打返佢 [Cantonese]  ―  daa² faan¹ keoi⁵ [Jyutping]  ―  to return him a hit; to hit him 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

   病返 [Cantonese]  ―  beng⁶ faan¹ [Jyutping]  ―  to fall ill again

   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

   寫返英文／写返英文 [Cantonese]  ―  se² faan¹ jing¹ man^4-2 [Jyutping]  ―  use English instead

   仲未覆返你 [Cantonese]  ―  zung⁶ mei⁶ fuk¹ faan¹ nei⁵ [Jyutping]  ―  still hasn't replied you

4. To be left over, to be remaining

   啲嘢都係留返聽日先做 [Cantonese, trad.]
   啲嘢都系留返听日先做 [Cantonese, simp.]

   di¹ je⁵ dou¹ hai⁶ lau⁴ faan¹ ting¹ jat⁶ sin¹ zou⁶ [Jyutping]

   Leave the things here first; I'll do them tomorrow.

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

   From: 開放詞典 / 开放词典 [Kaifang Cidian]

   zing⁶ faan¹ dei⁶ lei⁵ mei⁶ haau² jyun⁴ [Jyutping]

   I have just the Geography test left.

5. Used after verbs for starting a new, good action.

   沖返個涼 [Cantonese, trad.]
   冲返个凉 [Cantonese, simp.]

   cung¹ faan¹ go³ loeng⁴ [Jyutping]

   to enjoy a shower

   寫返啲嘢／写返啲嘢 [Cantonese]  ―  se² faan¹ di¹ je⁵ [Jyutping]  ―  to write something

   執返劑 [Cantonese, trad.]
   执返剂 [Cantonese, simp.]

   zap¹ faan¹ zai¹ [Jyutping]

   to go and have sex

   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 / 开放词典 [Kaifang Cidian]

   dak¹ haan⁴ zung⁶ hai⁶ zung¹ ji³ jam² faan¹ loeng⁵ bui¹. [Jyutping]

   Nothing beats downing two glasses in my spare time.

   • 1996, “倒轉地球”, in 李敏 (lyrics), 在乎您, performed by 劉德華:

     一起叫玩番足夠　一起跳否則生鏽 [Literary Cantonese, trad.]
     一起叫玩番足够　一起跳否则生锈 [Literary Cantonese, simp.]

     jat¹ hei² giu³ waan² faan¹ zuk¹ gau³, jat¹ hei² tiu³ fau² zak¹ saang¹ sau³ [Jyutping]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

• (to return):

返

1. (Southern Min) alternative form of 轉 / 转 (tńg, “to go back; to return”)

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

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

• 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, 返す, historical)}、かえる (kaeru, 返る, Jōyō)^{←かへる (kaferu, 返る, historical)}

• 返(かえ)る (kaeru)
• 返(かえ)す (kaesu)

返 (eumhun 돌이킬 반 (dorikil ban))

1. hanja form^? of 반 (“return, revert to, restore”)

返: Hán Nôm readings: phản

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