遍へん

へ

ん

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

Counter for occurrences or repetitions. Often used with numbers, e.g., 一遍 (once), 二遍 (twice). Similar to 回, but 遍 may sound slightly more formal or literary in some contexts.

Grammar

一人ひとり・二に本ほん・三さん冊さつnumbers and countersN5

Kanji

遍everywhere, times, widely
返return, answer, fade

Related words

回かいN4
遍 is an older or more literary counter for times, largely replaced by 回 in everyday speech.

Don't confuse with

編へんN1
遍 (へん) is another same-sounding word, used as a counter for repeated occurrences (times), unlike 編's meaning of a literary volume or piece.
片へん
片（へん）is a counter for fragments or petals, while 遍（へん）is a counter for the number of times something is done, despite sharing the same reading.

Written forms

遍へんUsage29%
Standard kanji for the counter meaning 'number of times'.
へんUsage71%
Kana spelling is acceptable, especially in casual writing.
返へんUsage<1%
Alternate kanji form; less common than 遍 for this meaning.

Etymology

The kanji 遍 originally means 'everywhere' or 'widely', and its use as a counter for times may derive from the idea of going through something completely or repeatedly. The alternate form 返 (return) is a phonetic loan.