购物
gòuwù · HSK 4
shopping
🛍️ 购 (buy) + 物 (thing) = buying things = shopping
购 means to purchase or buy; 物 means thing or object. Together they literally spell out the act of buying things. The 贝 radical in 购 is the ancient cowrie shell, once used as money.
购 — 贝 (shell/money) + 勾 (gōu, phonetic)
购 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 贝 component (cowrie shell, ancient currency) signals meaning related to money or trade, while 勾 (gōu) supplies the sound. Originally meaning to offer a reward or buy, it now simply means 'to purchase'.