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Kyōiku Kanji

返 — to return / to give back

Grade 3へん, かえ

返 (readings: へん, かえ; Japanese kanji) means “to return / to give back”. It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 返事 (reply).

What does 返 mean?

Kanji
Meaningto return / to give back
Readingsへん, かえ
GradeGrade 3 (Medium)
CurriculumKyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school

How to read 返

返 is read へん or かえ depending on the word.

Example words with 返

Example返事 (reply)
Practice writing 返 — free
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Updated: 2026-07-14