HanziGuru.买 · mǎi
买
mǎi[mai3]Tone 3

to buy

HSK 1
View Traditional FormSwitch to Traditional
買
Guru Deep Dive

English · to buy

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Top-bottom
Strokes:6
Writing Balance Rule: The top net/cover component should be compact and wide, while the bottom 'shell' component provides sturdy support and anchors the vertical center line.
Simplification Logic: Simplified from the traditional form 買, where the lower part historically depicted a cowrie shell (貝), simplified in modern standard writing.
1. Meaning

to buy, to purchase

to bribeto hire or win over
VerbNeutral#commerce#action#economy
Sample Usage
  • 我想买一个新手机。
    wǒ xiǎng mǎi yī gè xīn shǒujī.
    I want to buy a new cell phone.
  • 你在买什么？
    nǐ zài mǎi shénme?
    What are you buying?
2. Sound
/[maɪ̯²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
买
mǎimai3
++
ˇ(214)
=mǎi
Initial Consonant
m
Type: Bilabial Nasal
Sounds like: m sound as in 'mother'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Nasal resonance through nostrils.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips pressed lightly together to form a nasal bilabial closure, voicing through the nose.
Final Rhyme
ai
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: ai rhymes with 'eye' or 'high'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'eye'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T3 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips low like expressing disbelief or hesitation in English ('Oh really?'), then rises back up.
Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, mǎi changes to a 2nd tone (35) due to tone sandhi, becoming máimǎi in casual speech context though written tone remains 3rd.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing mǎi (to buy, 3rd tone) with mài (to sell, 4th tone). The tone contour makes all the difference between commerce directions.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: dip down sharply from medium pitch to a low point, then sweep upward to a high finish.
3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 6 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top net/cover component should be compact and wide, while the bottom 'shell' component provides sturdy support and anchors the vertical center line.

Simplification Logic: Simplified from the traditional form 買, where the lower part historically depicted a cowrie shell (貝), simplified in modern standard writing.

4. Components

Radical 乛 · Net / Cover Radical (Variant of 罒) (net, catching, or housing)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 贝 (Represents cowrie shells, the ancient form of currency used for buying and selling.)

Imagine a net (top) thrown out to catch and pull in money or valuable shells (bottom) in order to buy goods.

  • 乛 Top cover or net shape
  • 十 Cross structure dividing the space
  • 贝 Valuable shell or money at the bottom
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: In oracle bone script, the character originally depicted a net over cowrie shells, representing trade and acquisition. Over time, the net structure evolved into the top roof/cover element.

Semantic Evolution: Originally signified acquiring goods through trade tokens (shells), it narrowed down specifically to the act of purchasing.

  • Cowrie shells were widely used as primitive currency in early Chinese dynasties, directly linking money characters to shells.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
mãi
Shared similar historical phonology, though modern meanings and tones diverged.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: バイ / Kun: かう
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

You throw a net (乛 + 十) over a pile of precious shells (贝) so you can *buy* them all at the market!

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
卖
màito sellHas a 'ten' (十) plus a cover on top, meaning you push things away to sell them.
续
xùto continueUses silk thread on the left to tie things together.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
卖(mài)
卖 (mài) has an extra horizontal stroke/cross on top (like a outbox for selling), whereas 买 (mǎi) has an open net roof waiting to scoop things up to buy.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
我去超市[___]了一些水果。
Clue: mǎi
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 买 (mǎi, buy, 3rd tone) with 卖 (mài, sell, 4th tone). Remember: when you buy, you pull things in under a roof (买); when you sell, you push things out (卖).

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does 买 (mǎi) mean, and what tone does it have?
Production: How do you write the character for 'to buy' (mǎi) and what is its Pinyin?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

Search theme
Accent preference

Results are live YouTube search — accents and levels aren't verified.

买mǎito buy
Speed:
Searching YouTube for native pronunciation videos...
0 / 0
Watch on YouTubeMore Results on YouTube