- Basic forms
- 買う — to buy / base form
- 買います — polite / I buy / masu form
- 買った — past / bought / ta form
- 買って — te-form / buy (and …) / linking or request
- 買わない — negative / don’t buy / negative form
- 買えば — if I buy / conditional
- 買え・買ってみろ — buy it! / try buying! / imperative
- Other common forms
- 買いたい — want to buy / 〜たい form
- 買える — can buy / potential form
- 買われた — was bought / passive
- 買わせる — make someone buy / causative
- 買っていた — was buying / past progressive
- More
- 買おう — let’s buy / 〜よう form
- 買っている — buying / progressive
- 買わされている — being made to buy / causative progressive
買う (かう) is a godan (う-verb).
The final う changes to い / え / わ depending on the form —
for example, 買います, 買えば, 買わない.
It’s used for shopping and everyday transactions, from groceries to gifts.
- 買う — to buy
- 買い物 — shopping
- 売買 — buying and selling
- 不買 — boycott
- 購買 — purchase / buying
- 仲買 — brokerage / broker
- 買収 — acquisition / buyout
- 買い手 — buyer
Originally depicting shells as currency, 買 reflects ancient exchange systems. It now represents a fundamental daily action — to buy — in modern Japanese life.
スーパーで野菜を買いました。
I bought vegetables at the supermarket.
母に花を買ってあげました。
I bought flowers for my mother.
