Looking up...
買う
kau
What does "買う" mean in English?
buyスーパーで牛乳を買いました。
I bought milk at the supermarket.
How to use "買う" correctly: definitions and examples in English?
informal
To purchase something in exchange for money or equivalent value.
新しい靴を買うつもりです。
I'm going to buy new shoes.
彼は車を買ったばかりです。
He just bought a car.
Used for tangible goods and some intangible services (e.g., チケットを買う 'buy a ticket').
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Particle Usage
Always use を after the item being bought (e.g., 本を買う 'buy a book').
Gold Rule
Conjugation
買う conjugates as: 買います (polite), 買った (past), 買わない (negative), 買える (potential).
Word Origin
From Old Japanese *kafi-, related to Proto-Japonic *kapi- 'to buy'. Cognate with Ryukyuan dialects.
Usage Notes
買う is the most common verb for purchasing in daily conversation. For formal or legal contexts, 購入する is preferred. The particle を is used to mark the item purchased.
Word Breakdown
買
to buy
rootう
verb ending (godan verb)
suffix和英辞典