贸 (mào) is a Chinese character meaning “to trade”. It is written from 卯 (open gates; the fourth earthly branch, used here as a shape unit) and 贝 (shell), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “trade”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
卯 + 贝
Top–bottom structure
- 卯 open gates; the fourth earthly branch, used here as a shape unit · mǎo sound
- 贝 shell · bèi meaning
Structure from: 说文解字·貝部：貿，易財也。从貝卯聲
Memory aid
The two halves of 卯 stand apart like a pair of open gates, and under them sits a cowrie shell (贝), the old Chinese money. Open the gates, let the money move — that is 贸, trade.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 贸易mào yìtrade贸 = mào
- 外贸wài màoforeign trade贸 = mào
Go deeper
All readings
trade
to trade; to exchange goods; commerce
交换财物；买卖商品。现代汉语中几乎只用在「贸易」「外贸」这类词里。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 贸易mào yìtrade贸 = mào
- 外贸wài màoforeign trade贸 = mào
Origin
The Shuowen Jiezi explains 貿 (the traditional form of 贸) as "to exchange goods", written 从貝卯聲 — the cowrie shell 貝 (simplified 贝), ancient China's money, gives the meaning, and 卯 mǎo gives the sound.
Source: 说文解字·貝部：貿，易財也。从貝卯聲
Sound component
卯 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 贸 mean?
贸 (mào) means to trade; to exchange goods; commerce.
How do you pronounce 贸?
It is pronounced mào.
What parts is 贸 made of?
卯 (open gates; the fourth earthly branch, used here as a shape unit) and 贝 (shell), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字·貝部：貿，易財也。从貝卯聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 贸 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 贸?
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 贸?
Common ones are 贸易 and 外贸. The reading of 贸 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.