帰る vs 戻る – What is the Difference between Kaeru and Modoru?

There are two common Japanese words that mean to return. One is 帰かえる and the other is 戻もどる. These verbs are similar in meaning but are not exactly the same. Let’s take a look.

帰る

First, the word 帰る translates from Japanese to English as to return, go back, or even go back home. 帰る means to return or go back to a place that someone originally was. The place that the person returns to would be a place that the person belongs to in some way. The most common place that someone belongs to would be their home. But, you could use 帰る to mean to go back to one’s own country or another place that someone considers their base.

https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/

戻る

戻る is similar to 帰る but it does not hold the meaning of going back to one’s base or back home. This verb just means to return back to a place someone has been before.

動詞 – The Basics of Japanese verbs

So, for example, let’s say you go shopping and forget the milk. You would say 戻る in that situation if you return to the store to get the milk. So, 戻る is more like going back to a place temporarily.

Resources

• 戻る – Weblio
• 帰る – Weblio