Japanese symbol for “buy”
買う
かう
Romaji: kau
to buy; to purchase
In Japanese, buy is 買う, read かう (kau).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- v5u, vt to buy; to purchase
- v5u, vt to value (highly); to think highly of; to have a high opinion of; to appreciate; to recognize
- v5u, vt to incur (someone's anger, displeasure, etc.); to elicit (e.g. sneers); to invite (e.g. scorn); to evoke; to arouse; to win (someone's favour)
- v5u, vt to accept; to take on; to take up
- v5u, vt to pay for (a prostitute, geisha, etc.)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “buy”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 仕入れる | しいれる shiireru | to buy (stock, materials, etc.); to purchase; to lay in |
| 買い取る | かいとる kaitoru | to buy; to purchase; to buy out |
| 取る | とる toru | to subscribe to (e.g. a newspaper); to take; to buy |
| 頂く | いただく itadaku | to receive; to get; to accept |
| 買い求める | かいもとめる kaimotomeru | to buy |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 買取 | かいとり kaitori | purchase; buying; buying out |
| 買い物 | かいもの kaimono | shopping; purchased goods |
| 買収 | ばいしゅう baishuu | acquisition (esp. corporate); buy-out; takeover |
| 売買 | ばいばい baibai | trade; buying and selling; trafficking (e.g. of humans, arms, drugs) |
| 買い | かい kai | buying; shopping |
See also: Chinese symbol for “buy”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.
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