買 — “to buy” in Japanese

Grade 2ばい, か

Radical ⾙ · radical 154 The building block this kanji is filed under

“to buy” in Japanese is 買, read bai, ka (ばい, か). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 売買 (buying and selling).

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What does 買 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	買
Meaning	to buy
Readings	ばい, か
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	売買 (buying and selling)

How to read 買

買 is read bai (ばい) or ka (か) depending on the word.

Words with 買

売買

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Kanji read the same way as 買

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

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Updated: 2026-08-28