Where 回 comes from
Originally, a spiral signifying return
How to write 回 (huí, “to go back”)
回 (huí), an HSK 1 character, means “to go back”, “to reply” and “classifier”. It is a character whose parts combine into its meaning. On its own it is an HSK 1 word; it also forms 回去 (“to return”), 回来 (“to return”) and 回答 (“to reply”). Japanese reads it kai, “-times”, as a JLPT N3 kanji.
- Pinyin
- huí
- Strokes
- 6
- HSK
- 1
- Radical
- 囗 (“enclosure”)
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
As an enclosed character it splits into 囗 (“enclosure”, the radical), strokes 1–2 and 6; 口 (“mouth”), strokes 3–5, written with the strokes of the parts interleaved.
- Vertical ㇑top leftdownwards
- Horizontal-turn ㇕top leftrightwards → downwards
- Vertical ㇑leftdownwards
- Horizontal-turn ㇕centerrightwards → down and left
- Horizontal ㇐centerrightwards
- Horizontal ㇐bottom leftrightwards
Japanese and Chinese
Japanese and Chinese draw all 6 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Pinyin and meaning
| Pinyin | Meanings | Traditional | In words |
|---|---|---|---|
| huí second tone | to go back; to return; to turn back; to turn around; to reply; to answer; classifier for literary divisions (acts of a play, sections or chapters of a classic book); classifier for occurrences or times; to curve | — | 回去 回来 回答 回信 |
- HSK 2025 syllabus
- level 1
- 2021 standard
- level 1
- HSK 2.0
- in a level 1 word
- Words with it
- 236 in CC-CEDICT
Words with 回
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 回 | huí | to go back; to return HSK 1 |
| 回去 | huíqù | to return; to go back HSK 2 |
| 回来 回來 | huílái | to return; to come back HSK 2 |
| 回答 | huídá | to reply; to answer HSK 3 |
| 回信 | huíxìn | to reply; to write back HSK 4 |
| 回复 回復 | huífù | to recover; to revert HSK 4 |
| 回忆 回憶 | huíyì | to recall; memories HSK 4 |
| 回收 | huíshōu | to recycle; to reclaim HSK 5 |
| 返回 | fǎnhuí | to return to; to come (or go) back HSK 5 |
| 回头 回頭 | huítóu | to turn round; to turn one's head HSK 6 |
HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several characters: worksheet maker.
Keep going
HSK 1, in list order: