Origin

This character combines the radical for "goods" or "valuables" (the shell-shaped component on the left, which originally represented cowrie shells used as currency) with a sound hint on the right that suggests the pronunciation "kou". The left component points you toward the meaning area of commerce and trade, while the right component is there mainly to tell you how to say the word. Together they form a character meaning to buy or to make a purchase, grounding the commercial concept in the visual reminder of valuable goods.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint).