返還

• 読み: へんかん
• ローマ字: henkan
• 漢字の分解: 返 (hen/kae) — return, give back; 還 (kan) — revert, go back to origin
• 発音: /he.ɴ.ka.ɴ/

意味

Return; restoration; restitution. Refers to the formal return of something — land, territory, objects, or rights — to its original owner.

Used as a verbal noun with する (返還する). Most often encountered in geopolitical and legal contexts: the return of occupied territories, cultural artefacts, borrowed funds, or confiscated property. 返還 has a more formal and official tone than 返す (to return). Famous historical usage: 沖縄返還 (the reversion of Okinawa to Japan in 1972).

例文

1. 沖縄の日本への返還は1972年に実現した。
2. 文化遺産の返還を求める声が国際社会で高まっている。
3. 占領中に接収された土地の返還交渉は、いまだ続いている。

使い方ガイド

場面: politics, law, diplomacy, history

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

Compound of 返 (hen, return, give back) and 還 (kan, revert, go back). Both characters convey the idea of going back to the original point, making the compound doubly emphatic about restoration to the original state or owner.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: Adults

社会的背景: Educated