6 strokes · radical 乙 (second) · traditional 買
12 strokes · simplified 买
A picture that makes the shape stick — not a claim about the character’s history.
Draft — written with AI help and not yet read by a person. What that means.
A net over a shell. Shells were money, so scooping them up was buying; 卖, one stroke different, is letting them go.
Shown in simplified. Converting whole words needs one-to-many knowledge this site does not have — 发 is 發 in 出发 but 髮 in 头发 — and a confidently wrong word would be worse than an honest simplified one.
to buy; to purchase
mǎi — to buy; to purchase
Radical 乙 (second) · 6 strokes · traditional 買
12 strokes · simplified 买
A way to remember itA net over a shell. Shells were money, so scooping them up was buying; 卖, one stroke different, is letting them go.