Several parts combine into one character.

The most divergent simplification in this entire batch. The traditional 歸 originally pictured a married woman returning to her parental home — the original homecoming scene. The character generalized to "to return / go back to where one belongs". Three radically different forms: — 繁體 歸: full traditional, 18 strokes, complex. — 新字体 帰: Japanese kept the right side and dropped most of the left. — 简体 归: Chinese simplified to just the bottom-right components.

All three forms read as the same character meaning "return/homecoming".

Mandarin: guī, level 1st tone (simplified 归). In modern Mandarin, the colloquial verb "to return / go back" is 回 (huí), so 归 feels formal and abstract: 归来 (guīlái, return — literary), 回归 (huíguī, regression / return), 归于 (guīyú, to belong to), 归纳 (guīnà, summarize / induce). For everyday "go home", Mandarin uses 回家 (huí jiā), not 归家.

Japanese: on-reading キ (ki) for compounds — 帰国 (kikoku, return to one's country — used for repatriating overseas Japanese), 帰宅 (kitaku, returning home), 復帰 (fukki, restoration / return to original state). Kun-reading かえ.る (kae.ru, to return — intransitive) is the EVERYDAY verb every Japanese learner masters in week one. 家に帰る (ie ni kaeru, "I go home") is the standard end-of-day phrase. Compare with 戻る (modoru, also "to return") — 帰る emphasizes returning to one's base/home, while 戻る emphasizes simply going back. Native speakers feel a clear distinction.

Japanese also uses 帰り道 (kaerimichi, "the way home") and 帰り(kaeri, "the return trip"). The end of every Japanese workday or school day is anchored in 帰る.

Memory aid: a married woman returning to her parents — the foundational image of "going back where one belongs".