How to write 买 (mǎi, “to buy”)
买 (mǎi), an HSK 1 character, means “to buy” and “to purchase”. The traditional form is 買, 12 strokes instead of 6. Dictionaries list it under the radical 大 (“big”). On its own it is an HSK 1 word; it also forms 购买 (“to purchase”), 买卖 (“purchase and sale”) and 收买 (“to purchase”). Japanese keeps the traditional 買, read bai (“buy”).
- Pinyin
- mǎi
- Strokes
- 6
- HSK
- 1
- Radical
- 大 (“big”)
- Traditional
- 買
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
As a top-bottom character it splits into 乛 (“kwukyel”), stroke 1; 头 (“head”), strokes 2–6, written the top first.
- top leftrightwards → down and left
- top leftdown and right
- leftdown and right
- leftrightwards
- topdownwards → leftwards
- centerdown and right
Traditional form
- Simplified
- 买 · 6 strokes
- Traditional
- 買 · 12 strokes · see its strokes
Trace it
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Pinyin and meaning
| Pinyin | Meanings | Traditional | In words |
|---|---|---|---|
| mǎi third tone | to buy; to purchase | 買 | 购买 买卖 收买 买下 |
- HSK 2025 syllabus
- level 1
- 2021 standard
- level 1
- HSK 2.0
- in a level 1 word
- Words with it
- 58 in CC-CEDICT
Words with 买
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 买 買 | mǎi | to buy; to purchase HSK 1 |
| 购买 購買 | gòumǎi | to purchase; to buy HSK 4 |
| 买卖 買賣 | mǎimai | purchase and sale; transaction HSK 5 |
| 收买 收買 | shōumǎi | to purchase; to buy HSK 7-9 |
| 买下 買下 | mǎixià | to purchase (sth expensive, e.g. a house); to acquire… |
| 买回 買回 | mǎihuí | to buy back; to redeem |
| 买好 買好 | mǎihǎo | to ingratiate oneself |
| 买家 買家 | mǎijiā | buyer; purchaser |
| 买房 買房 | mǎifáng | to buy a house |
| 买菜 買菜 | mǎicài | to buy groceries |
HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).
Practice sheet
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Contain it:
HSK 1, in list order: