振ふり返かえる

ふ

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Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

振り返る · godan verb (-ru)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	振ふり返かえる	振ふり返かえらない
Polite	振ふり返かえります	振ふり返かえりません
Past polite	振ふり返かえりました	振ふり返かえりませんでした
Past	振ふり返かえった	振ふり返かえらなかった
Te-form	振ふり返かえって	振ふり返かえらないで
Desire	振ふり返かえりたい	振ふり返かえりたくない
Potential	振ふり返かえれる	振ふり返かえれない
Passive	振ふり返かえられる	振ふり返かえられない
Causative	振ふり返かえらせる	振ふり返かえらせない
Causative passive	振ふり返かえらせられるalso 振ふり返かえらされる	振ふり返かえらせられないalso 振ふり返かえらされない
Volitional	振ふり返かえろう
Polite volitional	振ふり返かえりましょう
Imperative	振ふり返かえれ	振ふり返かえるな
Conditional	振ふり返かえれば	振ふり返かえらなければ
Tara conditional	振ふり返かえったら	振ふり返かえらなかったら

Meanings

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb, transitive verb

turn around; look back; look over one's shoulder

Physical action of turning one's head or body to look behind. Can be intransitive or transitive (e.g., 振り返って見る).

後うしろから名な前まえを呼よばれて、思おもわず振ふり返かえった。
When someone called my name from behind, I turned around without thinking.
彼かれは一いち度どだけ肩かた越ごしに振ふり返かえって、手てを振ふった。
He looked back over his shoulder just once and waved.

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

look back on; reflect on; reminisce about

Metaphorical use: recalling or reflecting on past events, often with a sense of nostalgia or evaluation. Commonly used with ～を振り返る.

今年ことし一いち年ねんを振ふり返かえって、いろいろなことがあったなと思おもう。
Looking back on this past year, I realize a lot has happened.
彼かの女じょは青せい春しゅん時じ代だいを振ふり返かえりながら、微笑ほほえんだ。
She smiled while reminiscing about her youth.

See all 139 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉が振ふり返かえるsomeone turns around (to look)
名な前まえを呼よばれて彼かれは振ふり返かえった。
He turned around when his name was called.
〈事こと〉を振ふり返かえるto look back on / reflect on an event
彼かの女じょは学がく生せい時じ代だいを振ふり返かえった。
She looked back on her school days.
振ふり返かえってみるとlooking back on it now / in retrospect
振ふり返かえってみると、あの決けつ断だんは正ただしかった。
Looking back on it, that decision was the right one.
〈時とき〉を振ふり返かえるto look back over a period of time
年ねん末まつに一いち年ねんを振ふり返かえるのが恒こう例れいだ。
It's a tradition to look back on the year at year's end.

Kanji

振shake, wave, wag
返return, answer, fade

Transitive / intransitive

振り返る is used both intransitively, as in 彼は振り返った (he turned around), and transitively, as in 彼は昔を振り返る (he looks back on the past).

Related words· 10

振ふり向むくN3sense 1
振り向く refers only to the physical act of turning one's head or body, while 振り返る also covers the metaphorical sense of reflecting on the past.
回かい想そうN1sense 2
回想する is a formal, literary word for reminiscing, while 振り返る is the everyday conversational choice for looking back on the past.
見み返かえる sense 1
見返る is a less common word for glancing back, often implying a quick check behind oneself, whereas 振り返る is the standard verb for turning around.
思おもい出だすN5sense 2
思い出す focuses on the moment a memory comes to mind, while 振り返る implies a more deliberate, extended act of reflecting on past events.

Show 6 more

反はん省せいN3sense 2
反省する carries a self-critical nuance of reflecting on one's own mistakes, whereas 振り返る is more neutral and can apply to any past experience.
見み返かえす
振り返る means to physically turn one's body around to look behind, while 見返す (sense 4) focuses on the momentary act of glancing back without necessarily turning fully.
顧かえりみるN1
振り返る is the everyday word for looking back (either physically or on the past), while 顧みる is more literary and formal.
思おもい返かえすN1
振り返る means to look back on one's past in general (often life or experiences), whereas 思い返す focuses on reconsidering a specific memory or decision.
見みつめ直なおすN2
振り返る means to look back on past events or experiences, whereas 見つめ直す focuses on reassessing one's current self or values with fresh eyes.
思おもい起おこす
振り返る means to look back on one's past in a broad, reflective sense, while 思い起こす is about actively recalling a specific memory or detail.

Don't confuse with

引ひき返かえすN2sense 1
引き返す means to turn back and return the way one came, while 振り返る means to turn one's head or body to look behind without changing direction.
振ふり回まわす
振り返る means to turn around and look back, while 振り回す means to swing something around or manipulate someone; the two share the 振り root but differ completely in meaning.
見み返かえり
振り返る is the common verb for physically turning around to look back, while 見返り is the noun form used for a backward-looking pose or, more often, a reward received in exchange for something.

Built from

振ふる+返かえる

Written forms

振ふり返かえるUsage76%
Standard kanji spelling; high priority.
ふりかえるUsage11%
ふり返かえるUsage9%
search-only kanji form
Search-only variant; not a standard written form.
振ふりかえるUsage3%
search-only kanji form
Search-only variant; not a standard written form.
振ふり返かえるUsage1%
search-only kanji form
Search-only variant; not a standard written form.

Etymology

Compound of 振り (from 振る, 'to wave, turn') + 返る ('to return, turn back'). The literal sense of turning one's body/head gave rise to the figurative sense of looking back in time.