還 — “Send Back / Return” in Japanese

Master (高手)かん, かえ

Radical ⾡ · radical 162 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Send Back / Return” in Japanese is 還, read kan, kae (かん, かえ). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 返還 (return).

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What does 還 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	還
Meaning	Send Back / Return
Readings	かん, かえ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	返還 (return)

How to read 還

還 is read kan (かん) or kae (かえ) depending on the word.

Words with 還

返還

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Kanji read the same way as 還

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

Updated: 2026-08-28