(guī) - to return, to go back; to belong to, to come under in Mandarin
guīTraditional: 歸
Translation
to return, to go back; to belong to, to come under
Word origin
The full form 歸 shows 止 (zhǐ, a foot, meaning to go) and 帚 (zhǒu, a broom) beside a phonetic element, traditionally read as a bride going to her new household.
- Origin
- Chinese
- Root
- 止 (zhǐ, foot, to go) + 帚 (zhǒu, broom)
Stroke order
归
Examples
。
These books are my responsibility.
。
That piece of land belongs to the state.
。
He returns home late every day.
，。
Money is one thing and feelings are another.
。
Everything is for him to decide.
归 (guī) means to return, but it is the literary word for it. 归家, 归国, 回归 and 归来 all sound like writing rather than speech, and in a novel or a song a character 归 rather than 回.
Its living, everyday sense is possession and responsibility. 归我管 means it is my job, 归你 means it is yours, 归国家所有 means the state owns it. The pattern A归A is a small idiom of its own: 钱归钱，感情归感情 keeps two things firmly apart.
The trap is using it for going home. 我要归家 is not wrong so much as theatrical, and what a person actually says is 我要回家. Learn 归 for ownership, for 归纳 and 归还, and for reading, and let 回 handle the daily journey.
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归: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "归" (to return, to go back; to belong to, to come under): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 58.