价钱
jiàqián · HSK 3
price
💰 价钱 = 价 (price) + 钱 (money) — literally price-money
价 means price or value; 钱 means money or coin. Together they form the everyday word for cost or price tag. The 钱 character carries the 金 (metal) radical, a hint at its coin origins.
价 — person radical 亻 + 介 (jiè)
价 is the simplified form of 價. The traditional form combines 亻 (person) with 賈 (merchant), pointing to the act of pricing goods. In the simplified version, 賈 was replaced by the phonetic 介, which hints at the 'jià' reading while keeping the 'person' radical for the trading sense.
钱 — metal radical 钅 + 戋 (small/shallow)
Originally a name for a spade-shaped bronze tool used as early currency in ancient China. The metal radical 钅 gives the meaning (metal coin), while 戋 supplies the sound and hints at 'small, thin pieces.' Over time the meaning shifted from the spade-coin itself to money in general.