返 (fǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “to return”. It is written from 辶 (walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò)) and 反 (reverse; opposite; to turn over), one enclosing the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to return; to go back”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
辶 + 反
Enclosing structure
- 辶 walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò) · chuò meaning
- 反 reverse; opposite; to turn over · fǎn sound
Structure from: 说文解字（返，還也。从辵，反聲）
Memory aid
The road radical 辶 puts you on the move, and 反 means to flip or turn over. Turn yourself over on the road and you head back — 返. 反 also hands you the sound: fǎn.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 返回fǎn huíto return; to go back返 = fǎnHSK 5
- 往返wǎng fǎnto go back and forth; round trip返 = fǎnspoken aswáng fǎnHSK 5
Go deeper
All readings
to return; to go back
to return; to go back; to turn back
回；归来。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 返回fǎn huíto return; to go back返 = fǎnHSK 5
- 往返wǎng fǎnto go back and forth; round trip返 = fǎnspoken aswáng fǎnHSK 5
Sound component
反 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 返 mean?
返 (fǎn) means to return; to go back; to turn back.
How do you pronounce 返?
It is pronounced fǎn.
What parts is 返 made of?
辶 (walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò)) and 反 (reverse; opposite; to turn over), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字（返，還也。从辵，反聲）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 返 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 返?
辶. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 返?
Common ones are 返回 and 往返. The reading of 返 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.