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買 — how to write the kanji for “buy”

買 (“buy”) is a JLPT N4 kanji taught in second grade in Japan. Its parts sit stacked: 罒 (“net”), strokes 1–5; 貝 (“shellfish”, its radical), strokes 6–12, each finished before the next. Its 12 strokes make it one of the longest to write at N4. Its native reading ka-u leads in its common words, as in 買い (“buying”) and 買い物 (“shopping”); read bai it forms 売買 (“trade”). Mainland Chinese writes it 买 (mǎi, “to buy”), an HSK 1 character.

Strokes
12
JLPT
N4
Radical
貝 (“shellfish”)
On
バイ
Kun
か·う

Stroke by stroke

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  1. Vertical ㇑top leftdownwards
  2. Horizontal-turn ㇕top leftrightwards → downwards
  3. Vertical ㇑topdownwards
  4. Vertical ㇑topdownwards
  5. Horizontal ㇐top leftrightwards
  6. Vertical ㇑top leftdownwards
  7. Horizontal-turn ㇕leftrightwards → downwards
  8. Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
  9. Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
  10. Horizontal ㇐bottom leftrightwards
  11. Left-falling stroke ㇒bottomdown and left
  12. Dot ㇔bottom rightdown and right

Japanese and Chinese

The two models differ in shape, so our comparison does not claim an order; compare the numbered frames yourself (12 strokes in Japanese, 12 strokes in Chinese).

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Japanese · KanjiVG · 12 strokes
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Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 12 strokes

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Readings

On (Chinese-derived)
バイ bai
Kun (native)
か·う ka-u
Meanings
buy
Read ka-u
買い 買い物 買う 買い占め 買い付け 買い手
Read bai
売買 買収 購買
School year
second grade
Newspaper rank
520th of 2,500 (KANJIDIC2)
Korean hanja
매 mae
Common words
23 in JMdict

On and kun, explained

Words with 買

WordReadingMeaning
売買ばいばい baibaitrade; buying and selling
買収ばいしゅう baishuuacquisition; buy-out
買いかい kaibuying; shopping
買い物かいもの kaimonoshopping; purchased goods
買うかう kauto buy; to purchase
買い占めかいしめ kaishimebuying up of goods; cornering (market)
買い付けかいつけ kaitsukebuying; (wholesale) purchase
買い手かいて kaitebuyer
買い上げかいあげ kaiagebuying; purchasing
購買こうばい koubaiprocurement; purchase

Most common first (JMdict).

Practice sheet

Print at 100%. Several kanji: worksheet maker.

Keep going

Same parts:

JLPT N4, in list order: