Recognize 買 in everyday Japanese. Start with its meaning, to buy, then learn to read it in whole words such as 買う and 買い物.

The idea

Kanji may have Japanese-origin and Chinese-origin readings; learn each with its word. Compare 買う（かう） and 買い物（かいもの）. 買 has 12 strokes; follow their order in the linked KanjiVG diagram.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingMeaning
買うかうto buy
買い物かいものshopping
買いますかいますbuy (polite)

Examples

  • 母ははは新あたらしい車くるまを買かいます。My mother buys a new car.
  • 母ははと午後ごごに買かい物ものをします。I go shopping with my mother in the afternoon.
  • 母ははの日ひに花はなを買かいます。I buy flowers on Mother’s Day.
  • 日本語にほんごの本ほんを買かいます。I buy a Japanese-language book.
  • 先週せんしゅう、新あたらしい本ほんを買かいました。Last week I bought a new book.
  • 駅えきで切符きっぷを買かいます。I buy a ticket at the station.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

買う means to buy; 売る（うる） means to sell. Compare the shape of 買 with 売 so you do not confuse them.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 買う in hiragana.

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    かう

    買う is read かう; it means to buy. Learn the reading as part of this word.

  2. Write the reading of 買い物 in hiragana.

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    かいもの

    買い物 is read かいもの; it means shopping. Learn the reading as part of this word.

  3. Fill in the missing kanji: ＿い物（かいもの）.

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    買

    買 completes 買い物, read かいもの; the word means shopping.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 買 from memory, and read 買う and 買い物 aloud. Then check the readings and meanings.