戻もどる

も

ど

る

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 1,000

戻る · godan verb (-ru)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	戻もどる	戻もどらない
Polite	戻もどります	戻もどりません
Past polite	戻もどりました	戻もどりませんでした
Past	戻もどった	戻もどらなかった
Te-form	戻もどって	戻もどらないで
Desire	戻もどりたい	戻もどりたくない
Potential	戻もどれる	戻もどれない
Passive	戻もどられる	戻もどられない
Causative	戻もどらせる	戻もどらせない
Causative passive	戻もどらせられるalso 戻もどらされる	戻もどらせられないalso 戻もどらされない
Volitional	戻もどろう
Polite volitional	戻もどりましょう
Imperative	戻もどれ	戻もどるな
Conditional	戻もどれば	戻もどらなければ
Tara conditional	戻もどったら	戻もどらなかったら

Pairs with戻す

Meanings

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

return; go back; turn back

General intransitive movement back to a previous place, state, or direction. Sense 1 (turn back halfway) is a specific case of returning before reaching a destination.

忘わすれ物ものをしたので家いえに戻もどった。
I went back home because I forgot something.
途と中ちゅうで雨あめが降ふってきたので引ひき返かえして駅えきに戻もどった。
It started raining on the way, so I turned back and returned to the station.

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

be returned; recover; come back

Used when something lost or taken away returns to its original owner or place. Often appears with ～に or ～へ.

落おとした財さい布ふが交こう番ばんに戻もどっていた。
My lost wallet had been returned to the police box.
盗ぬすまれた自じ転てん車しゃが持もち主ぬしの元もとに戻もどった。
The stolen bicycle was returned to its owner.

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

rebound; spring back

Describes an object returning to its original shape or position after being pressed, bent, or stretched. Less common than the other senses.

この素そ材ざいは押おしてもすぐに元もとの形かたちに戻もどる。
This material springs back to its original shape even when pressed.

See all 597 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉に戻もどるto return to a place
忘わすれ物ものを取とりに家いえに戻もどった。
I went back home to get something I forgot.
〈物もの〉が〈人ひと〉に戻もどるfor something to be returned to someone
落おとした財さい布ふが戻もどってきた。
The wallet I dropped came back to me.
〈物もの〉が元もとの位い置ちに戻もどるfor something to spring back to its original position
ばねを押おすと元もとの位い置ちに戻もどる。
When you press the spring, it springs back to its original position.
〈人ひと〉のところに戻もどるto go back to someone
彼かの女じょは彼かれのところに戻もどった。
She went back to him.
席せきに戻もどるto return to one's seat
休きゅう憩けいの後あと、席せきに戻もどった。
After the break, I returned to my seat.

Expressions

元もとに戻もどるreturn to normal; revert to the starting point; go back to how it was
寒かんの戻もどりreturn of cold weather in spring; cold snap after warm days
意い識しきが戻もどるregain consciousness; come to
調ちょう子しが戻もどるget back to normal; get back into one's stride; get back into the swing of things
行ゆきつ戻もどりつgoing back and forth; pacing up and down
振ふり出だしに戻もどるgo back to square one; make a fresh start; be back where one started

Kanji

戻re-, return, revert

Transitive / intransitive

戻もどすN4sense 1
戻す is the transitive partner of 戻る: 戻す means to put something back, while 戻る means something goes back by itself.

Related words

帰かえるN5sense 1
帰る specifically means to return home or to one's base, while 戻る can describe returning to any previous place, state, or position.
引ひき返かえすN2sense 1
引き返す emphasizes turning back midway before reaching a destination, a narrower case of the more general 戻る.
返かえるN2
返る is a more literary or formal word for something returning to its original owner or state, overlapping with 戻る's sense of things coming back.
折おり返かえすN1
戻る is intransitive and simply means to return to a place, while 折り返す is transitive and emphasizes turning back midway on a route or in a call.
リターン
戻る is the everyday native verb for something going back to its original place, while リターン is a loanword often used in more formal or technical contexts like sports and finance.

Opposites

進すすむN4sense 1
進む means to advance or move forward, the opposite direction from 戻る's meaning of going back.

Don't confuse with

直なおるN4sense 2
直る means something is fixed or corrected, whereas 戻る means something goes back to its earlier position or state, which can sound similar but is not the same process.

Word family· 15

逆ぎゃく戻もどり
retrogression; reversal; relapse; doubling back; backtracking
後あと戻もどりN1
going back; turning back; backtracking · regression; relapse; returning to a bad state
舞まい戻もどる
come back; return
立たち戻もどる
return; come back
出で戻もどり
divorced woman returning to her parents' home; returning to one's parents after divorce · returning to a former workplace; boomerang employee · departing from and returning to the same port

Show 9 more

戻もどり
return; reaction; recovery · return (from a procedure)
小こ戻もどり
slight recovery; small rally
戻もどり値ち
return value
戻もどり道みち
the way back; return path
手て戻もどり
rework; backtracking; returning to a previous step
戻もどり梅雨づゆ
return of the rainy season; rainy season returning after clear weather
持もち戻もどり
return of a package to depot after failed delivery
行ゆき戻もどり
going and returning; round trip · divorced woman
這はい戻もどる
crawl back to

See all 15 in Explore →

Written forms

戻もどるUsage85%
Standard kanji spelling for all senses.
もどるUsage15%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the intended nuance is simple return or recovery.

Etymology

The kanji 戻 is composed of 戸 (door) and 大 (big), but the historical derivation is uncertain. The verb もどる is a native Japanese word.