卖 mài

卖 (mài) has a 十 (price tag) on top because you put a price tag on goods to sell them.

Think of it as a memory trick, not a history lesson: the top 十 is a price tag stuck on the goods. The base shape 买 is basically 'take in'. So the character with the tag on top is the one you sell — 卖. The one without a tag is the one you take home — 买. 卖 gives away, 买 takes home. Spot the little 十 and you know goods are leaving with money.

十 price tag stuck on top of the goods 买 the base shape, 'take in' — no price tag on this one

Common Usage & Traps

卖东西 (mài dōngxi) — sell things
卖水果 (mài shuǐguǒ) — sell fruit
卖书 (mài shū) — sell books
卖多少钱 (mài duōshao qián) — how much does it sell for
卖完了 (mài wán le) — sold out

~~我要卖一本书 (meaning: I want to buy a book)~~ 我要买一本书

If your money is going out and a book is coming home, it's 买. 卖 means the goods leave your hands and money comes in.
~~他买水果 (meaning: he sells fruit)~~ 他卖水果

The mix-up runs both ways. That fruit is going out to customers, so it has to be the price-tag one: 卖.

买 vs 卖: How do I remember which one is buy and which one is sell?

卖 has a 十 price tag on top: that's sell. 买 has no tag: that's buy.

Picture a shop owner slapping a price tag on a pile of goods. That tag is the 十 sitting on top of 卖 (mài). 买 (mǎi) has no tag because you're just taking stuff in. In speech the only difference is the tone: 买 is third tone (mǎi), 卖 is fourth tone (mài). Third tone dips down and comes back up — you're pulling the goods toward you. Fourth tone drops hard and stops — the goods are gone.

Dimension	Natural	Avoid
Meaning	卖 = sell (goods leave)	买 = buy (goods come in)
Shape	卖 has 十 (price tag) on top	买 has no tag
Tone	卖 = 4th tone, sharp drop	买 = 3rd tone, dips and rises
In a sentence	他卖水果 (he sells fruit)	他买水果 (he buys fruit)

In a shop, do I ask 这个多少钱 or 这个卖多少钱?

Both work. Plain 这个多少钱? is what you'll actually hear every day.

多少钱 on its own is the default price question — short, sharp, used everywhere. Adding 卖 makes the selling side explicit: what does this one go for? That version is fine too, just slightly more wordy. Don't point 卖 at the owner: 你卖多少钱 sounds like you're asking what price the owner sells for. When something isn't on offer, the shop says 这个不卖, not 不买.

Dimension	Natural	Avoid
Default price question	这个多少钱?	这个卖多少? (clunky)
Emphasizing the sale	这个卖多少钱?	你卖多少钱? (sounds like the owner is for sale)
Not for sale	这个不卖	这个不买 (means 'I'm not buying')

How do I say 'sold out' when the bakery runs out of bread?

卖完了 is the standard 'sold out'. Learn it as one chunk and move on.

卖完了 (mài wán le) is what you'll hear when the shelves are empty. 完 adds the idea of 'finished', so 卖完 means sold out, and the 了 simply marks that it already happened. For 'not sold out yet', say 还没卖完. If you want to ask whether more is coming, just say 还有吗? — you don't need 卖 in that question at all.

Dimension	Natural	Avoid
Sold out	卖完了	卖没有 (nobody says this)
Not sold out yet	还没卖完	不卖完 (wrong)
Asking if more is left	还有吗?	卖有吗?

Appears in Stories 4 stories

《大学者和小人物》 The Scholar and the Cookie Seller

HSK 5 ~8 min read 882 chars

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Discover how a simple letter from a cookie seller led to an unexpected friendship with a famous scholar. This heartwarming story explores kindness and connection across social divides.

在他的晚年，有一位卖饼干的小人物成了他的朋友，给他带来一点意外和许多快乐。
他除了做饼干、卖饼干，还爱读一点书，喜欢与人讨论政治制度。
胡之适接到这封信，知道了他虽然只是一位卖饼干的，竟然能在业余勤奋自学；问的又是胡博士最关心的英美政治问题，更觉十分高兴，便立即亲自写了一封回信。
““我还可以说，我们这个地方，有一个卖饼干的，每天在街上叫卖饼干，但他还愿意关心国家大事，关心英美的政治制度，希望国家能走上正确的道路──只这件奇事，已够使我乐观，使我高兴了。

《五块钱》 The Five-Yuan Gift

HSK 1 ~6 min read 414 chars

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This heartwarming story shows how a small act of kindness can be passed on. Follow Gao Xianming as he learns an important lesson about generosity in his new city.

前边有一个卖水果的老先生。

《一两件新衣服》 New Clothes and Good Friends

HSK 1 ~2 min read 84 chars

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This playful poem helps you count and practice vocabulary about clothes, students, and pets. Enjoy the rhythm while learning new words.

卖了六只小狗，四百零九元钱。

《时间和时候（1）卖车看电影》 Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

HSK 1 ~2 min read 146 chars

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Follow a day from waking at six-thirty to coming home at eight, then leap across days, months, and years. This simple story helps you practice speaking about routines and life changes with clear time words.

昨天卖了我的车。

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