1.
place where one is going back to; return destination
The address or location someone is heading home to — used in shipping forms, travel arrangements, and questions about where someone is staying. Compound of 帰る (to return) + 先 (destination).
帰り先はどこですか。
Where is your return destination?
用紙に帰り先の住所を記入してください。
Please write the return address on the form.
出張が長引いて、いつの間にか自分の帰り先が曖昧になってきた。
With the business trip dragging on, before I knew it I'd become unsure where 'home' even was anymore.
先 here means 'destination', as in 行き先 (where one is going) or 勤め先 (place of employment). Found most often on forms, in administrative contexts, and in questions about where a traveler is staying.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 行き先: destination — where one is going (one-way sense)
- 帰宅先: place of return; place to go home to — more formal compound used in official records
- 実家: one's parents' home — common informal answer to 'where will you spend the holidays?'