How to say 'Buy' in Japanese | 買う

Wondering how to say 'Buy' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Buy is 'Kau', written as 買う in Japanese.'Buy' in hiragana is かう.

word

買う

Meaning

Buy

Reading

かう

kau

Kanji

買Buy

Explanation

The Japanese verb '買う (かう)' means 'to buy'. It is used when purchasing goods or services. This verb can be used in various contexts, such as shopping, acquiring something, or even metaphorically to mean 'to incur' (e.g., trouble). For example: I bought a book「本を買った」(ほんをかった). She bought a new car「彼女は新しい車を買った」(かのじょはあたらしいくるまをかった). Note that '買う' is often used with the particle 'を' to indicate the object being purchased.

Part Of Speech

verb

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

279

Composition

kanji-hiragana

Handwriting

This word is a godan verb. To learn how it transforms in different tenses and forms, explore all its conjugations.

Kanji in the Word 買う

This word contains 1 kanji character:

kanji

買

Meaning

Buy

Hiragana in the Word 買う

This word contains 1 Hiragana character :

hiragana

う

Reading

Words Related to 買う Through the Kanji 買

These 3 Words contain the Kanji 買 as well.

word

買い物

Meaning

Shopping

word

売買

Meaning

Trade

word

買収

Meaning

Acquisition, Bribery

Learn the Word 買う

Let's make sure you fully understand this word.

What does 'Kau' (買う) mean?

'Kau' means 'Buy' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.