Meaning & readings

homecoming, arrive at, lead to, result in

On’yomi
Kun’yomi かえ.る、かえ.す、おく.る、とつ.ぐ

Origin

This character combines two visual ideas to express the concept of returning home. The left component (刂) represents a knife or cutting tool, used here as a marker of action or movement. The right component (帚) depicts a broom, an object associated with the household and domestic life. Together, these parts suggest the idea of movement toward one's home or family — the action of going back to where one belongs. Over time, this image of returning home expanded to mean arrival, homecoming, and eventually the broader sense of something leading to or resulting in a particular place or state.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Compound ideographic (combined meanings).

10 strokes

Components

  • meaning part left
  • meaning part right

Common words

  • 回帰 かいき return (to); revolution
  • 帰す かえす to send (someone) back; to send (someone) home
  • 帰り かえり return; coming back
  • 帰る かえる to return; to come home
  • 帰依 きえ becoming a devout believer; (religious) conversion
  • 帰化 きか naturalization; naturalisation
  • 帰還 きかん return (home); repatriation
  • 帰京 ききょう returning (home) to Tokyo; returning to the capital

Reference

Strokes
10
Kangxi radical
50
Grade
Grade 2 (Kyōiku)
Frequency rank
#504 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 3
Unicode
U+05E30