What does 回 mean in Chinese?

回 (huí) means "to return" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 1.

How do you write 回?

回 is written with 6 strokes, starting from the 囗 (enclosure) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 回?

The radical of 回 is 囗 (enclosure, Kangxi radical #31). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 国, 因, 园, 四.

How many strokes does 回 have?

The Chinese character 回 has 6 strokes.

What HSK level is 回?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 回 is a character to recognise at HSK 1.

回 (huí): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

回

huí

to return

HSK 1 character 6 strokes Radical: 囗 (enclosure)

Quick Answer

回 (huí) means "to return" with 6 strokes, radical 囗 (enclosure), HSK 1 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 回 →Animated stroke-order for 回 →

Pronunciation

huí

Meaning

Primary: to return

Etymology

Oracle-bone origin

Oracle-bone and bronze forms of 回 show a spiral or whirlpool, two nested curves rotating around a centre. The character is a pictograph of swirling water or a vortex, and the meaning of turning or returning comes directly from this circular motion.

Form evolution

The spiral of the oracle-bone form was regularised in seal script (篆书) into two concentric squares, 囗 inside 囗. Clerical script (隶书) hardened the curves into straight strokes, producing the familiar box-in-a-box shape. Modern standard (楷书) kept this structure unchanged.

How the meaning evolved

The original sense of swirling or turning extended naturally to returning, going back, and circling. In modern Mandarin it serves as both a verb (to return, 回家) and a measure word for occurrences (一回 yī huí, one time), the latter sense derived from the idea of one full turn or cycle.

Cultural note

The classical novel 红楼梦 (Dream of the Red Chamber) numbers its chapters using 回, reflecting the older sense of one narrative cycle. The character also names the Hui (回族) Muslim ethnic group, a usage unrelated to the pictographic origin.