帰る

• Reading: かえる
• Romaji: kaeru
• Kanji breakdown: 帰 (ki/kae) — to return, to go home
• Pronunciation: /ka.e.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To return; to go home; to come home; to go back to where one belongs.

A Group 1 (godan) intransitive verb. Specifically implies returning to one's home or base. Different from 戻る (modoru), which means to return to any previous location. Commonly used with the particle に to mark the destination. The compound お帰りなさい is the standard greeting for someone returning home.

Examples

1. 五時に家に帰ります。 I go home at five o'clock.
2. 昨日は遅く帰った。 I got home late yesterday.
3. お母さんがまだ帰っていない。 Mom hasn't come home yet.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, work, school

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Old Japanese. The kanji 帰 combines elements suggesting a broom sweeping and a foot returning, conveying the idea of going back to one's place of belonging.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal