歸

Core sense: To return to a proper, rightful, or permanent place of belonging. This manifests in several directions:

1. Physical and Domestic: Returning home or to one’s origin; specifically, the bride moving into the groom's household (patrilocal marriage).

2. Political Allegiance: Surrendering, pledging loyalty, or submitting to a rightful authority; an act of alignment or "turning toward" a ruler or state.

3. Resultative and Categorical: A reduction or conclusion; returning to a principle, falling under a specific category, or resulting in a final state.

4. Metaphysical: Death or transcendence viewed as a restoration of the original state (e.g., returning to ancestors or the Dao).

• Verb of Motion: return to [location/person].
• Verb of Assignment: To be attributed to, assigned to, or credited to something else.
• Construction Note (歸於...): Depending on register, this may indicate physical arrival (returned to), political submission (submitted to), or logical outcome (became/resulted in).

• vs. 返: While both involve returning, 返 typically emphasizes the act of turning back from a journey (the departure from the remote site), whereas 歸 emphasizes the arrival at the destination where one belongs.
• vs. 回: 回 often suggests a reversal of direction or circular motion; 歸 implies settling or finality.

Variants: 𠙜 (U+489C), 归 (U+5F52).