How to write 卖 (mài, “to sell”)

卖 (mài), an HSK 1 character, means “to sell”, “to betray” and “to spare no effort”. It is HSK 1 in the 2025 syllabus, down from level 2 in the 2021 standard. The traditional form is 賣, 15 strokes instead of 8. On its own it is an HSK 1 word; it also forms 外卖 (“to provide a takeout or home delivery meal”), 买卖 (“purchase and sale”) and 出卖 (“to offer for sale”). Japanese keeps the traditional 賣, read bai (“sell”).

Pinyin: mài
Strokes: 8
HSK: 1
Radical: 十 (“ten”)
Traditional: 賣

Stroke by stroke

As a top-bottom character it splits into 十 (“ten”, the radical), strokes 1–2; 买 (“to buy”), strokes 3–8, written the top first.

top leftrightwards
topdownwards
top leftrightwards → down and left
leftdown and right
leftdown and right
bottom leftrightwards
centerdown and left → leftwards
bottomdown and right

Names of the strokes

Traditional form

Simplified: 卖 · 8 strokes
Traditional: 賣 · 15 strokes · see its strokes

Simplified vs traditional

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Pinyin and meaning

Pinyin	Meanings	Traditional	In words
mài fourth tone	to sell; to betray; to spare no effort; to show off or flaunt	賣	外卖出卖拍卖专卖

HSK 2025 syllabus: level 1
2021 standard: level 2
HSK 2.0: in a level 2 word
Words with it: 101 in CC-CEDICT

Words with 卖

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
卖賣	mài	to sell; to betray HSK 1
外卖外賣	wàimài	to provide a takeout or home delivery meal; takeout (business) HSK 3
买卖買賣	mǎimai	purchase and sale; transaction HSK 5
出卖出賣	chūmài	to offer for sale; to sell HSK 7-9
拍卖拍賣	pāimài	to auction; auction sale HSK 7-9
专卖專賣	zhuānmài	monopoly; exclusive right to trade HSK 7-9
贩卖販賣	fànmài	to sell; to peddle HSK 7-9
卖出賣出	màichū	to sell; to reach (a price in an auction)
卖唱賣唱	màichàng	to sing for a living
卖国賣國	màiguó	to betray one's country

HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).

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