回
huí · HSK 1
return
🔄 a square inside a square — boundary returning into itself
The character 回 shows one enclosure nested in another, the outer shape echoing the inner. That nesting is the etymology hook for the meaning return or go back — a loop that comes home to where it started.
回 — enclosure 囗 + smaller 囗 inside
回 is a pictograph of a swirling whirlpool or coiled spiral, shown as nested squares in modern form. The original meaning was 'to revolve' or 'turn around,' which extended to 'return' and 'a time/occurrence.' It also appears as a phonetic in characters like 茴 and 廻.