HSK 5 · Verbs

往返 wǎngfǎn “to go back and forth” in Chinese

Said as wángfǎn

Same in Traditional

What 往返 means

  1. to go back and forth
  2. to go to and fro
  3. to do a round trip

How to say 往返

  • Pitch chart of the third tone: dips low then rises, 2 to 1 to 4 on the five-level scale往wǎng3rd tone, dipping
  • Pitch chart of the third tone: dips low then rises, 2 to 1 to 4 on the five-level scale返fǎn3rd tone, dipping

Said as wángfǎn. When two third tones meet, the first one rises into a second tone. You still write it with two third tones. How tone changes work

往返 in a sentence

  1. 你买了往返的票吗？

    Nǐ mǎi le wǎngfǎn de piào ma?

    Did you buy a return ticket?

    Sentence #6822546 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  2. 往返票多少钱？

    Wǎngfǎn piào duōshǎo qián?

    How much is a return ticket?

    Sentence #6822548 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  3. 往返吗？是单程。

    Wǎngfǎn ma? Shì dānchéng.

    Return? – No, one-way.

    Sentence #334421 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

How 往返 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 往 (wǎng) drawn as one shape
往wǎngto go

往 is a single shape of 8 strokes. Learn it whole, then watch its stroke order below.

The character 返 (fǎn) with each of its parts in a different colour
返fǎnto return
  • 反reverse · fǎn
  • 辶walking form of 辵 · chuò

How to write 往返

往 8 strokes · 返 7 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

往返 (wǎngfǎn) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 往返 (wǎngfǎn). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 往返

Words with 往

往wǎng · to go (in a direction)往往wǎngwǎng · usually交往jiāowǎng · to associate with往常wǎngcháng · usually (in the past)往事wǎngshì · the past以往yǐwǎng · in the past向往xiàngwǎng · to yearn for礼尚往来lǐshàngwǎnglái · courtesy calls for reciprocity一如既往yìrújìwǎng · as always

More words: Common Verbs

吐tǔ · to spit (out)推广tuīguǎng · to promote退tuì · to move back退步tuìbù · to regress危害wēihài · to harm威胁wēixié · to threaten围绕wéirào · to revolve around维修wéixiū · to repair

FAQs

往返 (wǎngfǎn) means “to go back and forth” or “to go to and fro”. It is an HSK 5 word.
Say it wǎngfǎn: wǎng with a 3rd tone, then fǎn with a 3rd tone. In speech it sounds like wángfǎn. When two third tones meet, the first one rises into a second tone. You still write it with two third tones. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
Yes. 往返 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type wangfan with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 往返 from the suggestions. Typing wangfan into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
往返 is an HSK 5 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.