归
guī · HSK 4
return... to
🏠 归 = 阝(steps) + 帚(broom) — sweep your way back home
Originally depicted a bride being escorted to her new home, holding a broom as a sign of belonging. The modern sense extends to returning, reverting, or handing something over to the proper place or person.
归 — 阜 (mound) + 帚 (broom) + 止 (foot)
Originally depicted a bride being escorted to her husband's home, with 帚 (broom) symbolizing her domestic role and 止 (foot) showing movement. The meaning shifted from 'a woman returning to her marital home' to the broader sense of 'to return' or 'go back'. The 阜 component suggests the journey involved.