帰 — “to return / to go home” in Japanese

Grade 2き, かえ

Radical ⼱ · radical 50 The building block this kanji is filed under

“to return / to go home” in Japanese is 帰, read ki, kae (き, かえ). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 帰宅 (returning home).

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What does 帰 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	帰
Meaning	to return / to go home
Readings	き, かえ
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	帰宅 (returning home)

How to read 帰

帰 is read ki (き) or kae (かえ) depending on the word.

Words with 帰

帰宅

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Kanji read the same way as 帰

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

返かえ to return / to give back

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28