帰ります
kaerimasu
kaerimasu is the Japanese verb for "to return," used when someone is returning to their home or a place where they belong.
This verb describes the act of returning to a home or a place where they belong. When specifying the destination you are returning to, such as a house, you commonly use the particle ni before the verb, as in 家に帰ります (ie ni kaerimasu).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai region, people often use the phrase 帰るで.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb has several forms depending on the tense and politeness level. The polite past tense is 帰りました (kaerimashita), while the informal negative form is 帰らない (kaeranai). The informal dictionary form is 帰る (kaeru).
How do you pronounce it?
kaerimasu
Did you know?
- The word kaeru for 'frog' is a homophone of kaeru for 'to return'. Because of this, frogs are often seen as symbols of good luck or returning home safely in Japanese culture.
- When Japanese employees leave the office, they rarely say kaerimasu to their colleagues. Instead, they use the set phrase osaki ni shitsureishimasu, which translates to 'I am being rude by leaving ahead of you'.
- In Japanese, there is a separate verb for returning to a place that is not your home, such as a store or a park, which is modorimasu. Using kaerimasu in those contexts would sound as if you lived there.
Examples in context
- 今日はちょっと疲れたから、早めに帰るよI'm a bit tired today, so I'll go home earlier.
- そろそろ家に帰ります。Sorosoro ie ni kaerimasu.I will go home soon.
- 今日は早く帰ります。Kyou wa hayaku kaerimasu.I will return home early today.
- 電車に乗って帰ります。Densha ni notte kaerimasu.I will go home by train.
Example conversation
Two friends are leaving a cafe.
- 陽葵 Himari大翔君、もう帰りますか。Hiroto-kun, mō kaerimasu ka.Hiroto, are you going home now?
- 大翔 Hirotoはい、そろそろ帰ります。Hai, sorosoro kaerimasu.Yes, I'll be heading home soon.
- 陽葵 Himari気をつけて帰ってくださいね。Ki o tsukete kaette kudasai ne.Please get home safely.
- 大翔 Hirotoありがとう。また明日。Arigatō. Mata ashita.Thanks. See you tomorrow.
