返

Formed as a phono-semantic compound:

辵 (movement radical) provides the semantic element of walking, going;

反 (to turn back) provides the phonetic element.

Together, they depict the idea of “walking back” or “turning back.”

Semantic range:

- to return, come back (돌아오다);

- to give back, send back (돌려보내다);

- to turn back, reverse direction (되돌아가다);

- by extension, “instead, on the contrary” (도리어).

귀환 (歸返) — return, repatriation

반환 (返還) — restitution, to give back

반송 (返送) — return to sender (esp. mail, parcels)

반답 (返答) — reply, answer in return

반고 (返故) — returning to one’s hometown (literary)

Distinction from 反

反 = general “to turn back, to oppose, to reflect” (abstract or physical reversal).

返 = specific “to return something to someone, to go back to a place or state” (directed action).