# 返る
## Japanese

* Kanji in this term
* 返
* かえ Grade: 3
* kun'yomi

### Alternative forms

* (reverse, turn over; renew; continuative verb suffix): 反る

### Etymology

⟨kape$_1$ru⟩ → */kapʷeru/ → /kaferu/ → /kawʲeru/ → /kaeru/
From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *kapyaru.
Appears to be derived from a kape- stem, compare 返す (kaesu, “return”, transitive).

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) かえる [káꜜèrù] (Atamadaka –)
* IPA: [ka̠e̞ɾɯ̟]
* Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「返る」
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary :
| Stem forms ||||
| Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形) | 返る | かえる | [káꜜèrù] |
| Imperative (命令形) | 返れ | かえれ | [káꜜèrè] |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 返られる | かえられる | [kàéráréꜜrù] |
| Causative | 返らせる | かえらせる | [kàéráséꜜrù] |
| Potential | 返れる | かえれる | [kàéréꜜrù] |
| Volitional | 返ろう | かえろー | [kàéróꜜò] |
| Negative | 返らない | かえらない | [kàéráꜜnàì] |
| Negative perfective | 返らなかった | かえらなかった | [kàéráꜜnàkàttà] |
| Formal | 返ります | かえります | [kàérímáꜜsù] |
| Perfective | 返った | かえった | [káꜜèttà] |
| Conjunctive | 返って | かえって | [káꜜèttè] |
| Hypothetical conditional | 返れば | かえれば | [káꜜèrèbà] |

### Verb

返(かえ)る • (kaeru) intransitive godan (stem 返(かえ)り (kaeri), past 返(かえ)った (kaetta))
Japanese verb pair :
| active | 返す |
| mediopassive | 返る |
* to return, go back
* to reverse, turn over
** to move in the opposite direction
** to interchange front and back
* to change color, fade
* (of a year) to renew
* (by extension) to start over
* suffixed to the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of a verb:
** to [verb] completely
** to [verb] over and over or repeatedly
*** c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 12, poem 2890:, text here
    夜干(ぬば)玉(たま)之(の)夜乎(よを)長(ながみ)鴨(かも)吾(わが)背子之(せこが)夢(いめ)尓(に)夢(いめ)西(にし)所見(みえ)還(かへる)良武(らむ) [Man'yōgana]
    ぬばたまの夜(よ)を長(なが)みかもわが背子(せこ)が夢(いめ)に夢(いめ)にし見(み)えかへるらむ [Modern spelling]

#### Conjugation

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms") :
| Mizenkei ("imperfective") | 返ら | かえら | kaera |
| Ren’yōkei ("continuative") | 返り | かえり | kaeri |
| Shūshikei ("terminal") | 返る | かえる | kaeru |
| Rentaikei ("attributive") | 返る | かえる | kaeru |
| Kateikei ("hypothetical") | 返れ | かえれ | kaere |
| Meireikei ("imperative") | 返れ | かえれ | kaere |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 返られる | かえられる | kaerareru |
| Causative | 返らせる 返らす | かえらせる かえらす | kaeraseru kaerasu |
| Potential | 返れる | かえれる | kaereru |
| Volitional | 返ろう | かえろう | kaerō |
| Negative | 返らない | かえらない | kaeranai |
| Negative continuative | 返らず | かえらず | kaerazu |
| Formal | 返ります | かえります | kaerimasu |
| Perfective | 返った | かえった | kaetta |
| Conjunctive | 返って | かえって | kaette |
| Hypothetical conditional | 返れば | かえれば | kaereba |
Stem forms :
| Irrealis (未然形) | 返ら | かへら | kafera |
| Continuative (連用形) | 返り | かへり | kaferi |
| Terminal (終止形) | 返る | かへる | kaferu |
| Attributive (連体形) | 返る | かへる | kaferu |
| Realis (已然形) | 返れ | かへれ | kafere |
| Imperative (命令形) | 返れ | かへれ | kafere |
| Key constructions ||||
| Negative | 返らず | かへらず | kaferazu |
| Contrasting conjunction | 返れど | かへれど | kaferedo |
| Causal conjunction | 返れば | かへれば | kafereba |
| Conditional conjunction | 返らば | かへらば | kaferaba |
| Past tense (firsthand knowledge) | 返りき | かへりき | kaferiki |
| Past tense (secondhand knowledge) | 返りけり | かへりけり | kaferikeri |
| Perfect tense (conscious action) | 返りつ | かへりつ | kaferitu |
| Perfect tense (natural event) | 返りぬ | かへりぬ | kaferinu |
| Perfect-continuative tense | 返れり 返りたり | かへれり かへりたり | kafereri kaferitari |
| Volitional | 返らむ | かへらむ | kaferamu |

#### Derived terms

* 帰(かえ)る, 還(かえ)る (kaeru, “go home”)
* 孵(かえ)る (kaeru, “hatch out”)
* 覆(くつがえ)る (kutsugaeru, “topple”)
* 翻(ひるがえ)る (hirugaeru, “turn around”)
* 踏(ふ)ん反(ぞ)り返(かえ)る (funzorikaeru)

#### See also

* 戻(もど)る (modoru, “return, turn back”)

### References

* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
* ↑ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1974), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Second edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō