貿 meaning and stroke order
Commerce, trade
How to write 貿, stroke by stroke
12 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 貿
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- commerce
- trade
How 貿 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Money.
贝 gives the meaning and 卯 hints at the sound.
Radical: 貝 (sea shell), shared by 62 characters on this site.
How to remember 貿
貿 is built from 卯 (mǎo) on top, which gives the sound, and 貝 (bèi, shell money) below, which gives the meaning of money. Picture money 貝 changing hands under a busy market sign 卯, and you have trade.
貿 rarely appears alone. It shows up in trade words like 贸易 (màoyì, trade), 外贸 (wàimào, foreign trade) and 经贸 (jīngmào, economy and trade). Example: 中国和美国有很多贸易。(Zhōngguó hé Měiguó yǒu hěn duō màoyì.) China and the US have a lot of trade.
Common mistake: Learners often write the top part as 卵 (luǎn, egg) or 卬, but it is 卯, with two separate open halves and no dots inside. Also keep the fourth tone in mào, not the third tone of the component 卯 (mǎo).
Common words with 貿
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 貿
How many strokes are in 貿?
貿 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 貿 mean?
貿 (mào) means commerce, trade. A common word with it is 贸易 (màoyì), meaning "(commercial) trade".
How do you pronounce 貿?
貿 is pronounced mào, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 貿?
The radical of 貿 is 貝, which carries the idea of "sea shell". Dictionaries list 貿 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 貿?
貿 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 贸, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why does 贸然 mean rashly if 貿 means trade?
贸然 (màorán) is a fixed word meaning hastily or without careful thought, as in 不要贸然决定 (bú yào màorán juédìng), don't decide rashly. Just learn it as a separate vocabulary item rather than linking it to trade.
What is the difference between 贸易 and 商业?
贸易 (màoyì) focuses on the exchange of goods, especially between regions or countries. 商业 (shāngyè) is broader and means commerce or business in general, including shops and services.