返品（へんぴん、henpiん）
- return (goods)

The Japanese word 返品 (読み方: へんぴん) means "return" or "returned goods." It refers to the act of sending back a purchased item to the seller for reasons such as damage, defects, incorrect item, or simply because the buyer is not satisfied with it. The word encompasses the entire process of the return, from the buyer's decision to return the item to the seller receiving it. It implies that the item is being sent [返品] to be returned to the original seller, usually for a refund, exchange, or credit. The focus is on the action of returning a product.

⚫︎商品に欠陥があったので、お店に 返品 したいです。 Translation: I would like to return the item to the store because there's a defect. ⚫︎サイズが合わなかったので、服を 返品 することにしました。 Translation: Because the size didn't fit, I decided to return the clothes. ⚫︎注文した商品と違う物が届いたので、 返品 しました。 Translation: I returned the item because a different product arrived than the one I ordered.

You use 返品 in situations where you're discussing the return of a product. This can be in a conversation with a shop assistant, when writing an email to a customer service department, or when describing a situation. You will often use it to explain why you are returning an item and what you would like to happen (e.g., a refund or exchange). It is a common word in retail, e-commerce, and logistics settings. The verb form of 返品 is 返品する (to return).

⚫︎The word 返品 is primarily written in Kanji. ⚫︎The reading is へんぴん in hiragana. ⚫︎There is only one way to write this word and no variations in the okurigana (suffix hiragana).

⚫︎返却 (へんきゃく) - "return," but more broadly, not specific to goods or products. ⚫︎戻す (もどす) - "to return" (verb), a general word that can be used for returning anything. ⚫︎交換 (こうかん) - "exchange" - when you return an item to receive a different one (not necessarily the same one). ⚫︎戻り (もどり) - "return" (noun), similar to 返品, but can have broader meanings than just products.

⚫︎購入 (こうにゅう) - "purchase," the opposite of returning a product. ⚫︎受け取る (うけとる) - "to receive," the act of taking possession of the item, opposing the act of returning it. ⚫︎保持 (ほじ) - "to keep/retain"

この商品は 返品 できますか？ ・Translation: Can I return this product? ・Explanation: This sentence directly asks if a 返品 is possible. It’s a very common question when wanting to return an item.

不良品だったので、 返品 して、新しいものと交換してもらいました。 ・Translation: Because it was a defective product, I returned it and had it exchanged for a new one. ・Explanation: This sentence explains that a product was returned due to its defects, and subsequently exchanged. This sentence provides context for the reason for the 返品 and the outcome of the action.

返品 is a compound word formed from two kanji: 返 (へん/かえ.す) meaning "to return, to send back," and 品 (ひん) meaning "goods, item, product." Therefore, the literal meaning of 返品 is "returning goods."