Meaning of 回来
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to return; to come back
How to use 回来
回来 means coming back toward where the speaker is, so you use it when someone returns to you or to your place. It can stand alone or follow a verb to show something comes back, as in 拿回来 (ná huílai, bring back). Example: 你几点回来？ (Nǐ jǐ diǎn huílai?) What time are you coming back?
回 (huí) looks like a small box inside a bigger box, like a path circling back to the center, and 来 (lái) means to come. Together 回来 means to circle back and come here again.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 回来 and 回去 (huíqù). Use 回来 when the movement is toward the speaker, and 回去 when it is away from the speaker, so if you are at home you say 他回来了 but if you are at the office talking about going home you say 我回去了.
回来 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
回 huí · to go back · 6 strokes
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- 2
- 3
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来 lái · to come · 7 strokes
- 1
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Related words
Words that share a character with 回来.
| 起来 | qǐlái | to stand up; to get up; also pr. [qi3lai2] |
| 出来 | chūlái | to come out; to appear |
| 回家 | huí jiā | to return home |
| 回去 | huíqù | to return; to go back |
| 进来 | jìnlái | to come in |
| 回到 | huídào | to return to |
| 回答 | huídá | to reply; to answer; reply; answer |
| 来到 | láidào | to arrive; to come |
| 过来 | guòlái | to come over; to manage |
| 带来 | dàilái | to bring; (fig.) to bring about; to produce |
| 来自 | láizì | to come from (a place); From: (in email header) |
| 原来 | yuánlái | original; former; originally; formerly; at first |
Questions about 回来
What does 回来 mean?
回来 (huílái) means "to return; to come back".
How do you write 回来?
回来 is made of 2 characters: 回 (6 strokes), 来 (7 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 回来 an HSK word?
Yes. 回来 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 回来 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 回来 is written 回來.
Why is 来 in 回来 sometimes pronounced with a neutral tone?
In everyday speech 来 often loses its tone after a verb, so 回来 is commonly said huílai. Saying huílái with a full second tone is also understood, especially when speaking slowly or with emphasis.
Where does the place go when using 回来 with a location?
Put the place between 回 and 来, as in 回家来 (huí jiā lái, come back home), or use 回到 plus the place, as in 回到北京 (huídào Běijīng). You should not say 回来北京.