贩 (fàn) is a Chinese character meaning “to buy goods and resell them”. It is written from 贝 (shell) and 反 (reverse; opposite; to turn over), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to peddle; trader”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
贝 + 反
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS ⿰贝反，笔画核验 4+4=8（hanzi-writer-data）；《说文解字·贝部》：販，買賤賣貴者。从貝反聲
Memory aid
A cowrie shell (贝) — old Chinese money — next to 反 (fǎn), "turn over". The trader turns goods over for money: buy low, sell high. 反 also hands you the sound: fǎn → fàn.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 贩卖fàn màito sell; to peddle; to traffic in贩 = fàn
- 小贩xiǎo fànstreet vendor; peddler贩 = fàn
Go deeper
All readings
to peddle; trader
to buy goods and resell them; to peddle; a small trader or dealer
买进货物再卖出去；也指做小买卖的人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 贩卖fàn màito sell; to peddle; to traffic in贩 = fàn
- 小贩xiǎo fànstreet vendor; peddler贩 = fàn
Sound component
反 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 贩 mean?
贩 (fàn) means to buy goods and resell them; to peddle; a small trader or dealer.
How do you pronounce 贩?
It is pronounced fàn.
What parts is 贩 made of?
贝 (shell) and 反 (reverse; opposite; to turn over), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS ⿰贝反，笔画核验 4+4=8（hanzi-writer-data）；《说文解字·贝部》：販，買賤賣貴者。从貝反聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 贩 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 贩?
贝. 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 贩?
Common ones are 贩卖 and 小贩. The reading of 贩 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.