购

購

gòu

勾 + 贝

Definitions

gòu (verb) to buy; to purchase

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 贝 represents the meaning and 勾 represents the sound. Simplified form of 購.

Semantic: 贝 Phonetic: 勾

About

购 is a phono-semantic compound: 贝 (bèi), the cowrie shell radical, represents money or trade, while 勾 (gōu) gives the sound. It is the simplified form of 購, where the traditional money radical 貝 combines with the phonetic 冓 (gòu), which originally depicted interlocking wooden structures. The character consistently means to buy or purchase, and the simplification replaced 冓 with 勾 and streamlined 貝 to 贝.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我购买一本书。

Wǒ gòumǎi yī běn shū.

I buy a book.

他喜欢购物。

Tā xǐhuān gòuwù.

He likes shopping.

我们需要购买食物。

Wǒmen xūyào gòumǎi shíwù.

We need to buy food.

她在线购买衣服。

Tā zàixiàn gòumǎi yīfu.

She buys clothes online.

公司计划购买新设备。

Gōngsī jìhuà gòumǎi xīn shèbèi.

The company plans to purchase new equipment.

为了健康，他购买有机蔬菜。

Wèile jiànkāng, tā gòumǎi yǒujī shūcài.

For health, he buys organic vegetables.

在购物节期间，许多人疯狂购物。

Zài gòuwùjié qījiān, xǔduō rén fēngkuáng gòuwù.

During the shopping festival, many people shop crazily.

政府应该采购环保产品以促进可持续发展。

Zhèngfǔ yīnggāi cǎigòu huánbǎo chǎnpǐn yǐ cùjìn kěchíxù fāzhǎn.

The government should procure environmentally friendly products to promote sustainable development.

Related Characters

Component: 勾

Component: 贝

购