90521
I know the basic use of the phrase 国に帰る. What I’d like to know is when a
Japanese person uses this phrase, do they (without giving it much thought,
perhaps) imply that a foreigner is always to come back to their country of
origin?

Let’s imagine a person who’s lived in Japan for many years and for who the
country has become home, so there is no other country return to - they are
where they are supposed to be. Will the same old 国に帰る be used?
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2021-09-26T13:07:36.630
90519
2021-09-26T17:01:32.030
2021-09-26T17:01:32.030
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question
meaning phrases connotation
The meaning behind 国に帰る
Basically yes, 国に帰る can be used in such a situation.

国（くに) in the expression is sometimes written as 故郷 (with the pronunciation
くに), _homeland_. So 国に帰る can be used as long as the speaker perceives it as
his/her homeland.

As such in some cases 国に帰る may not be used or can be ambiguous - if A was born
in the US and moved to Japan at the age of three, then A wouldn't seriously
say 国に帰る to mean going to the US. Or if a 50-year-old American person B has
lived in Japan for thirty years and he says 国に帰る somewhere outside Japan and
the US, then it can be ambiguous - going to Japan or to the US (To me it
sounds more like to the US, though).

* * *

**Added** If a Japanese says 国に帰る, then usually it means going back to his/her
hometown for a long term/permanently.
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2021-09-26T13:36:43.843
90521
2021-09-26T13:56:21.527
2021-09-26T13:56:21.527
45489
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90519
answer