买 (mǎi) is a Chinese character meaning “to buy”. It is written from 乛 (horizontal hook stroke) and 头 (head), one above the other, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “to buy”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
乛 + 头
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1 笔为横钩「乛」，第 2–6 笔与「头」五笔逐笔对应，1+5=6 画）
Memory aid
A hook (乛) hung above a head (头): duck your head under the shop awning and buy something.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 购买gòu mǎito purchase; to buy买 = mǎi
- 买单mǎi dānto pay the bill (at a restaurant)买 = mǎi
- 买卖mǎi maibusiness; trade; buying and selling买 = mǎi
Go deeper
All readings
to buy
to buy; to purchase
用钱换取东西；购买。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 购买gòu mǎito purchase; to buy买 = mǎi
- 买单mǎi dānto pay the bill (at a restaurant)买 = mǎi
- 买卖mǎi maibusiness; trade; buying and selling买 = mǎi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 买 mean?
买 (mǎi) means to buy; to purchase.
How do you pronounce 买?
It is pronounced mǎi.
What parts is 买 made of?
乛 (horizontal hook stroke) and 头 (head), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1 笔为横钩「乛」，第 2–6 笔与「头」五笔逐笔对应，1+5=6 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 买 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 买?
乙. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 买?
Common ones are 购买 and 买单. The reading of 买 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.