购 gòu to buy
to buy; to purchase
How to remember 购: 贝 sea shell + 勾 to hook = to buy. The girl sees a rare sea shell at the market that she wants to hook onto her necklace, so she saves her pocket money to buy it.
Component breakdown
购 = 贝 sea shell + 勾 to hook
- 贝 sea shell
- 勾 to hook
The girl sees a rare sea shell at the market that she wants to hook onto her necklace, so she saves her pocket money to buy it.
How it is used
- Bound; to buy/purchase. 购物 (gòuwù) go shopping, 购买 (gòumǎi) purchase, 网购 (wǎnggòu) online shopping.
- 购买 (gòumǎi) is the formal/written "purchase," while everyday spoken "buy" is 买 (mǎi): 买东西 vs 购物.
- 采购 (cǎigòu) = procure/source in bulk (for a business); 收购 (shōugòu) = buy up/acquire (companies, crops).
Words with 购
Example sentences
- 我今天去逛街购物。 Wǒ jīntiān qù guàngjiē gòuwù.I went strolling down the street and did some shopping today.
- 购物车里装满了礼品。 Gòuwùchē lǐ zhuāngmǎn le lǐpǐn.The shopping cart is full of gifts.