The kanji 返 primarily conveys the idea of "to return," "to give back," "to reply," or "to turn back." It implies a movement or action that reverses or comes back to an original point or source. This can be in the form of physical returning, responding, or giving something back.

・On-yomi (音読み): ヘン (hen) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): かえ-す (kae-su), かえ-る (kae-ru)

⚫︎ 返事 (へんじ) Translation: Reply, answer ⚫︎ 返金 (へんきん) Translation: Refund ⚫︎ 返す (かえす) Translation: To return (something)

The kanji 返 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字 - keisei moji). It combines the phonetic component 反 (han/sora), which suggests the sound, with the semantic component ⻌ (しんにょう)(shinnyou), which is a radical that indicates movement or going. The original meaning of 反 is "to turn over" or "to revolt," which implies the idea of returning. The addition of the radical ⻌ (shinnyou) refines the meaning to an action or movement of "returning" or "going back." The character's evolution reflects the process of returning or reversing something, whether it be a physical object, a feeling, or an action.