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Kotomora

購

subscription, buy

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 1,000Strokes17

Readings

On'yomi

  • コウ

Kun'yomi

—

Meaning

購 centers on acquiring something by paying money: buying or subscribing to a service. The subscription sense is a specific form of purchase, often recurring.

Most common words using 購

20 of 35
  • 購入こうにゅう
    N2

    purchase; buying

  • 購読こうどく
    N1

    buying and reading (book, magazine, etc.); subscribing (incl. free subscriptions); taking (e.g. newspaper)

  • 購買こうばい
    N1

    procurement; purchase; buying

  • 購買力こうばいりょく

    buying power; purchasing power

  • 定期購読ていきこうどく

    subscription (e.g. to a magazine)

  • グリーン購入グリーンこうにゅう

    environmentally responsible purchasing; green purchasing

  • 一括購入いっかつこうにゅう

    lump-sum purchase; bulk purchase; group purchase

  • 予約購読よやくこうどく

    subscription

  • 事前購入じぜんこうにゅう

    advance purchase (e.g. fare)

  • 事前購入割引運賃じぜんこうにゅうわりびきうんちん

    advance purchase excursion fare; APEX fare

  • 全米購買部協会ぜんべいこうばいぶきょうかい

    (former) National Association of Purchasing Management (USA); NAPM

  • 共同購入きょうどうこうにゅう

    cooperative buying; group buying; joint purchase

  • 割賦購買かっぷこうばい

    buying in installments; buying in instalments

  • 即購入そくこうにゅう

    instant purchase; buying immediately

  • 直接購入ちょくせつこうにゅう

    direct purchase

  • 自社株購入権じしゃかぶこうにゅうけん

    stock option

  • 購うあがなう

    to buy; to pay for

  • 購入価格こうにゅうかかく

    purchase price

  • 購入先こうにゅうさき

    retailer

  • 購入品こうにゅうひん

    purchased item; purchased goods; (a) purchase

Explore all words using 購 →

Study

Etymology

購 combines 貝 (shell, money) with 冓, which likely contributes the sound. The shell radical indicates a financial transaction, giving the meaning of buying or purchasing.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side is 貝 (shell, an old form of money), and the right side 冓 looks like stacked goods. Imagine using shells to buy a stack of items: that's purchasing.

Reading mnemonic

For コウ, picture a coin dropping into a machine to buy a subscription: the clink of the coin sounds like 'koh' (コウ).