Meaning of 购买
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to purchase; to buy
How to use 购买
购买 is a more formal word for buying than 买 (mǎi). You see it in news, ads, contracts, and online shopping pages, and it usually takes a noun object. Example: 您可以在网上购买门票。(Nín kěyǐ zài wǎngshàng gòumǎi ménpiào.) You can buy tickets online.
Both characters carry the shell radical 贝, an old symbol for money. 购 (gòu) and 买 (mǎi) both mean buying, so 购买 is simply paying money to get something.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 买 (mǎi, third tone, to buy) with 卖 (mài, fourth tone, to sell). 卖 has an extra 十 on top, so check both the tone and the shape.
购买 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
购 gòu · to buy · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
买 mǎi · to buy · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 购买.
| 购物 | gòuwù | shopping |
| 买卖 | mǎimai | to buy and sell |
| 收购 | shōugòu | to purchase or acquire in bulk or at an official level (esp. by a state or organization); |
| 采购 | cǎigòu | to procure (for an enterprise etc); to purchase |
| 收买 | shōumǎi | to purchase; to buy; to bribe; to buy off |
| 买不起 | mǎi bu qǐ | cannot afford; can't afford buying |
| 订购 | dìnggòu | to place an order; to subscribe |
| 并购 | bìnggòu | merger and acquisition (M and A); acquisition |
| 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) |
Questions about 购买
What does 购买 mean?
购买 (gòumǎi) means "to purchase; to buy" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 购买?
购买 is made of 2 characters: 购 (8 strokes), 买 (6 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 购买 an HSK word?
Yes. 购买 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 购买 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 购买 is written 購買.
Can I use 购买 in everyday speech instead of 买?
You can, but it sounds stiff in casual talk. In daily life people say 我去买菜 (wǒ qù mǎi cài), not 我去购买菜. Save 购买 for formal or written contexts.
What is the difference between 购买 and 采购?
购买 is general buying by anyone, including individuals. 采购 (cǎigòu) means procuring goods for a company or organization, often in larger amounts as part of a job.