maai5買买
Definition
To buy or purchase; to pay money to obtain goods, property, rights, or services.
Example
ngo5我heoi3去gaai1街si5市maai5買sung3餸。
ngo5我heoi3去gaai1街si5市maai5买sung3餸。
I'm going to the market to buy groceries.
How it's used
Beyond the literal sense of purchasing goods, this verb is frequently used in the context of betting or gambling, such as buying a horse in a race or placing a bet on a lottery. It is also common to hear it used when someone is 'hiring' or 'buying' a service, like buying someone's time or loyalty in a metaphorical sense. Unlike formal written Chinese, it is the standard, everyday term for any transaction involving money.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Beginners often confuse 買 with 賣, which means to sell. Remember that the character 買 has the net symbol at the top, representing the act of gathering or acquiring things, while 賣 includes the radical for 'out' or 'sold', indicating the items are leaving your possession.
Grammar color guide
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
