卖 (mài) is a Chinese character meaning “to sell”. It is written from 十 (ten) and 买 (to buy), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to sell”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
十 + 买
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–2 笔为「十」，第 3–8 笔与「买」六笔逐笔对应，2+6=8 画）
Memory aid
Ten (十) stacked on top of buy (买): buy ten of them cheap, then sell them on.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 卖家mài jiāseller; vendor卖 = mài
- 买卖mǎi maibusiness; trade; buying and selling卖 = mài
- 贩卖fàn màito sell; to peddle; to traffic in卖 = mài
Go deeper
All readings
to sell
to sell; to offer for sale; to put on the market
把东西交给别人并收取钱款；出售。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 卖家mài jiāseller; vendor卖 = mài
- 买卖mǎi maibusiness; trade; buying and selling卖 = mài
- 贩卖fàn màito sell; to peddle; to traffic in卖 = mài
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 卖 mean?
卖 (mài) means to sell; to offer for sale; to put on the market.
How do you pronounce 卖?
It is pronounced mài.
What parts is 卖 made of?
十 (ten) and 买 (to buy), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–2 笔为「十」，第 3–8 笔与「买」六笔逐笔对应，2+6=8 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 卖 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 卖?
十. 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 卖?
Common ones are 卖家 and 买卖. The reading of 卖 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.