买 meaning and stroke order
To buy; to purchase
How to write 买, stroke by stroke
6 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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- 6
Meaning of 买
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to buy
- to purchase
How 买 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 大 (big), shared by 46 characters on this site.
How to remember 买
买 is built from 乛 on top of 头 (tóu, head). Picture a hook 乛 pulling a head 头 toward the shop counter: you pull your head down to look at the price before you buy.
买 (mǎi) is the everyday verb for buying, used with almost any object, and it also appears in words like 购买 (gòumǎi) and 买单 (mǎidān, to pay the bill). In words like 收买 (shōumǎi) it can mean to buy someone off or bribe them. Example: 我想买一杯咖啡。(Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yì bēi kāfēi.) I want to buy a cup of coffee.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 买 (mǎi, third tone, to buy) with 卖 (mài, fourth tone, to sell). The shapes differ only by the 十 on top of 卖, so think of it as an extra piece you add when you sell something.
Common words with 买
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 购买 | gòumǎi | to purchase; to buy | HSK 4 |
| 买卖 | mǎimai | to buy and sell | HSK 5 |
| 收买 | shōumǎi | to purchase; to buy; to bribe; to buy off | HSK 7-9 |
| 买不起 | mǎi bu qǐ | cannot afford; can't afford buying | HSK 7-9 |
| 买下 | mǎixià | to purchase (sth expensive, e.g. a house); to acquire (a company, a copyright etc) | |
| 买家 | mǎijiā | buyer; purchaser | |
| 买单 | mǎidān | to pay the bill; to pick up the tab | |
| 买票 | mǎipiào | to buy tickets; (Tw) to buy votes (in an election) | |
| 买好 | mǎihǎo | to ingratiate oneself | |
| 买主 | mǎizhǔ | customer | |
| 买通 | mǎitōng | to bribe | |
| 买菜 | mǎicài | to buy groceries | |
| 做买卖 | zuòmǎimài | to buy and sell; to do business | |
| 买房 | mǎifáng | to buy a house |
买 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 买
Learning 买 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 买
How many strokes are in 买?
买 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 买 mean?
买 (mǎi) means to buy; to purchase. A common word with it is 购买 (gòumǎi), meaning "to purchase; to buy".
How do you pronounce 买?
买 is pronounced mǎi, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 买?
The radical of 买 is 大, which carries the idea of "big". Dictionaries list 买 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 买?
The traditional form of 买 is 買. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 买 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 买 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 买 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Why is 买卖 pronounced mǎimai and what does it mean?
In 买卖 the second syllable is usually read in the neutral tone, giving mǎimai. It means business or trade, literally buying and selling, as in 做买卖 (zuò mǎimai, to do business).
How do I say I can't afford something with 买?
Use 买不起 (mǎi bu qǐ), as in 这个太贵了，我买不起。(Zhège tài guì le, wǒ mǎi bu qǐ.) This is too expensive, I can't afford it. The positive form 买得起 (mǎi de qǐ) means you can afford it.