回

回 U+56DE, 回 ← 囝[U+56DD] CJK Unified Ideographs 囟 →[U+56DF] Stroke order Traditional 迴 Simplified 回 Japanese 廻 Korean 廻

回 (Kangxi radical 31, 囗+3, 6 strokes, Cangjie input 田口 (WR), four-corner 60600, composition ⿴囗口)

• 佪, 徊, 恛, 洄, 㻁, 硘, 絗, 蛔, 䛛, 䤧, 鮰
• 廻, 迴, 痐, 㐭, 㔽, 靣, 茴, 啚, 啬, 嗇, 䨓, 穯

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 216, character 26
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 4690
• Dae Jaweon: page 422, character 4
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 712, character 2
• Unihan data for U+56DE

Pictogram (象形): rotation (originally a spiral).

simp. and trad. 回 alternative forms 囬囘

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

回

1. to turn around Alternative form: 迴 往回走 ― wǎng huí zǒu ― to turn back 回過身來／回过身来 ― huí guò shēn lái ― to turn around 回頭看了一眼／回头看了一眼 ― huítóu kàn le yī yǎn ― turned around (one’s head) and had a look
2. to return; to go back Alternative form: 迴 回家 ― huíjiā ― to return home 我明天要回北京了。 [MSC, trad. and simp.]Wǒ míngtiān yào huí Běijīng le. [Pinyin]I am returning to Beijing tomorrow.
3. Used after a verb to indicate a movement back to the original place; back 使用後請放回原位。 [MSC, trad.]使用后请放回原位。 [MSC, simp.]Shǐyòng hòu qǐng fàng huí yuánwèi. [Pinyin]Please put it back after use. 我要拿回屬於我的東西。 [MSC, trad.]我要拿回属于我的东西。 [MSC, simp.]Wǒ yào ná huí shǔyú wǒ de dōngxi. [Pinyin]I must take back what belongs to me.
4. to circle; to wind Alternative form: 迴
   • 倬彼雲漢，昭回于天。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]倬彼云汉，昭回于天。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge’s versionZhuō bǐ yúnhàn, zhāo huí yú tiān. [Pinyin]Bright was that milky way,Shining and revolving in the sky.
5. to reply; to respond; to answer 回信 ― huíxìn ― to write back 回他個電話／回他个电话 ― huí tā ge diànhuà ― to call him back 已讀不回／已读不回 ― yǐdúbùhuí ― to read someone’s message and not give any response
6. to decline; to refuse
7. to avoid Alternative form: 迴
8. Classifier for chapters. 《西遊記》全書共一百回。 [MSC, trad.]《西游记》全书共一百回。 [MSC, simp.]“Xīyóujì” quán shū gòng yībǎi huí. [Pinyin]Journey to the West has 100 chapters in total.
9. Classifier for number of occurrences of events: times
   • 有幾回，鄰舍孩子聽得笑聲，也趕熱鬧，圍住了孔乙己。 [MSC, trad.]有几回，邻舍孩子听得笑声，也赶热闹，围住了孔乙己。 [MSC, simp.]From: 1919, Lu Xun, 孔乙己 (Kung I-chi)Yǒu jǐ huí, línshè háizi tīng de xiàoshēng, yě gǎn rènào, wéi zhù le Kǒng Yǐjǐ. [Pinyin]Sometimes children in the neighbourhood, hearing laughter, came to join in the fun, and surrounded Kung I-chi.

   Alternative form: 迴

simp. and trad. 回 alternative forms 囬囘

From earlier name 回回 (huíhuí), variant of 回鶻／回鹘 (Huíhú), from either Old Uyghur 𐽳𐽶𐽲𐽳𐽾 (wyqwr) or Old Turkic 𐰆𐰖𐰍𐰺 (uygur). Doublet of 維吾爾／维吾尔 (Wéiwú’ěr).

回

1. (～族) Hui ethnic group
2. (dated in Mainland China) Muslim; anything related to Islam
   • 只見數十匹駱駝夾著二三十匹馬，乘者都是囘人，高鼻深目，滿臉濃鬚，頭纒白布，腰懸彎刀。 [MSC, trad.]只见数十匹骆驼夹着二三十匹马，乘者都是回人，高鼻深目，满脸浓须，头缠白布，腰悬弯刀。 [MSC, simp.]Zhǐ jiàn shù shí pǐ luòtuó jiā zhe èr sān shí pǐ mǎ, chéng zhě dōu shì Huí rén, gāo bí shēn mù, mǎn liǎn nóng xū, tóu chán bái bù, yāo xuán wān dāo. [Pinyin](please add an English translation of this quotation)
   • 我是回人，[…] [MSC, trad. and simp.]Wǒ shì Huí rén, […] [Pinyin](please add an English translation of this quotation)
3. a surname 回良玉 ― Huí Liángyù ― Hui Liangyu (Chinese politician)

For pronunciation and definitions of 回 – see 迴 (“to revolve; to rotate; to avoid; etc.”).(This character is the simplified and variant form of 迴).Notes:

• Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore.
• Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

simp. and trad. 回 alternative forms 𠲛噲／哙

回 (Eastern Min)

1. that
2. then

• “回”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎[2], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014-
• 周存 [Zhōu, Cún], editor (2023), “回”, in 长汀话词典 CHANGTINGHUA CIDIAN [Dictionary of Changting Dialect] (overall work in Hakka and Mandarin), Guangzhou: 世界图书出版有限公司 [World Book Publishing Co., Ltd.], →ISBN, pages 186, 711.

(Second grade kyōiku kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 囘)

Shinjitai

回

Kyūjitai

囘

1. turn

• Go-on: え (e, Jōyō †)←ゑ (we, historical)
• Kan-on: かい (kai, Jōyō)←くわい (kwai, historical)
• Tō-on: うい (ui)
• Kun: まわす (mawasu, 回す, Jōyō)←まはす (mafasu, 回す, historical)、まわる (mawaru, 回る, Jōyō)←まはる (mafaru, 回る, historical)、めぐる (meguru, 回る)、めぐらす (megurasu, 回らす)

• 廻 (this is the older spelling of at least some senses or homonyms)

Kanji in this term 回 まわ(り)Grade: 2 kun’yomi

• (Tokyo) まわり [màwárí] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA(key): [ma̠β̞a̠ɾʲi]

回(まわり) • (-mawari)

1. a turn, times around something

Kanji in this term 回 かいGrade: 2 kan’on

From Middle Chinese 回 (MC hwoj).

The kan’on pronunciation, so likely a later borrowing.

(as a noun)

• (Tokyo) かい [káꜜì] (Atamadaka – [1])[1]
• IPA(key): [ka̠i]

回(かい) • (kai) ←くわい (kwai)?

1. turn; revolve
2. return; go back
3. time; occasion
4. (dated) Hui; Islam
5. alternative form of 蛔 (kai, “roundworm; intestinal worm”)

回(かい) • (-kai) ←くわい (-kwai)?

1. occurrences 一(いっ)週(しゅう)間(かん)に二(に)回(かい)isshūkan ni nikaitwice a week
2. innings in baseball, games, rounds
3. (Kansai) indicating year of university students 一回生(いっかいせい)ikkaiseifreshmen (in university)

回(かい) • (kai) ←くわい (kwai)?

1. time, occasion
2. turn, round
3. episode, chapter 次(じ)回(かい)jikainext episode
4. (baseball, softball) inning

• 節(せつ) (setsu), 章(しょう) (shō)

Kanji in this term 回 えGrade: 2 goon

From Middle Chinese 回 (MC hwoj).

The goon pronunciation, so likely the initial borrowing.

• IPA(key): [e̞]

回(え) • (e) ←ゑ (we)?

1. turn; turn around

Kanji in this term 回 わGrade: 2 kun’yomi Alternative spelling 曲

First attested in a text from 1116.[2]

Etymology uncertain; no Japanese references give any etymology. One can speculate cognancy with 輪 (wa, “ring; wheel”), but this is not backed up by any sources.

• IPA(key): [β̞a̠]

回(わ) • (wa)

1. (obsolete) a bend (of an area)

• 浦(うら)回(わ) (urawa, “coastal bend”, obsolete)
• 川(かわ)曲(わ) (kawawa, “river bend; a placename in Mie”, obsolete)

Kanji in this term 回 みGrade: 2 kun’yomi For pronunciation and definitions of 回 – see the following entry. 【廻み】J [verb] imperfective and stem (or continuative) forms of 廻る (miru) [ichidan] (This term, 回, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

回 (eumhun 돌아올 회 (doraol hoe))

1. (suffix) time, occurrence, occasion
2. return to time

• 위화도회군 (威化島回軍, wihwadohoegun)

回: Hán Nôm readings: hồi[1]

1. to return, to turn around
2. a time or occurrence (especially in the past)
3. a chapter, an act
4. (only in compound) anything related to Islam

• 回答 (hồi đáp, “to answer”)
• 復回 (phục hồi, “to return to the original form”)
• 小說章回 (tiểu thuyết chương hồi, “novels that are divided into multiple chapters”)
• 回教 (Hồi giáo, “Islam”)
• 道回 (đạo Hồi, “Islam”)