买 (mǎi)

买 means to buy or to purchase. It is the opposite of 卖 (mài, to sell). The two characters look similar: 买 has a cross on top and no person radical below, while 卖 has an extra component on top.

Meanings

[verb] To buy, to purchase.

Example Sentences

我要去超市买水果。 Wǒ yào qù chāoshì mǎi shuǐguǒ. I want to go to the supermarket to buy fruit.

她买了一件新衣服。 Tā mǎi le yī jiàn xīn yīfu. She bought a new piece of clothing.

这本书在哪里买？ Zhè běn shū zài nǎlǐ mǎi? Where can I buy this book?

我用手机买了火车票。 Wǒ yòng shǒujī mǎi le huǒchēpiào. I bought a train ticket with my phone.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
买东西	buy things, go shopping
买票	buy a ticket
买菜	buy groceries/vegetables
买水果	buy fruit
买单	pay the bill
购买	to purchase (formal)

Memory Hook

买 has a net (罒) over a shell (贝, an ancient currency symbol). You cast a net over money to catch the thing you want to buy.