回 huí — (a measure word for matters or actions) a time; to circle; to go back; to turn around; to answer; to return
他每天六点回家。Tā měi tiān liù diǎn huí jiā.He goes home at six every day.
Common words: 回来 (huí lai)、回家 (huí jiā)、回到 (huí dào)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to go back"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to go back", including 回 (huí), 却 (què), 归 (guī). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to go back" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 回 (huí), 却 (què), 归 (guī) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span huí, què, guī — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 回 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 回 huí(a measure word for matters or actions) a time; to circle; to go back; to turn around; to answer; to returnUseful words: 回来, 回家
- 却 quèbut; yet; however; while; to go back; to declineUseful words: 冷却, 却是
- 归 guīto go back; to returnUseful words: 归还, 归纳
Common words for these 3 "to go back" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 回 (huí) — so "to go back" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
回来huí laito return; to come back回家huí jiāto return home回到huí dàoto return to冷却lěng què(lit. and fig.) to cool却是què shìnevertheless; actually; the fact is ...退却tuì quèto retreat; to shrink back归还guī huánto return sth; to revert归纳guī nàto sum up; to summarize; to conclude from facts; induction (method of deduction in logic)归根到底guī gēn dào dǐafter all; in the final analysis; ultimately
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "to go back".
却 què — but; yet; however; while; to go back; to decline
他想说什么，却又停住了。Tā xiǎng shuō shén me, què yòu tíng zhù le.He wanted to say something, but then stopped.
Common words: 冷却 (lěng què)、却是 (què shì)、退却 (tuì què)
归 guī — to go back; to return
太晚了，我们该归家了。Tài wǎn le, wǒ men gāi guī jiā le.It is too late; we should head home.
Common words: 归还 (guī huán)、归纳 (guī nà)、归根到底 (guī gēn dào dǐ)
All 3 characters
Open 回、却、归 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.