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购物 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
购物gòuwùshoppingHSK 4, n, 16 strokes, rank #2641, Medium
gòuwù(gou4wu4)gou wu T4
  1. 1shopping
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March 24, 2026

购物(購物)gòuwù(gou4wu4)

购物 (gòuwù) means 'shopping' in Mandarin, referring to the activity of purchasing goods or services. It's commonly used in both everyday conversation and formal contexts when discussing consumer behavior or retail experiences.

Strokes16Frequency#2641DifficultyMedium
Cultural Note

Shopping is a significant part of modern Chinese culture, especially in urban areas where shopping malls and online shopping have become prevalent. Festivals like Singles' Day (双十一) see massive shopping sprees across the country.

Memory Tip

Think of 购物 as 'go woo' when you want to buy something exciting. The radical '亻' (person) suggests that a person is involved in the action of buying, while '务' (affair) connects to the business aspect of shopping.

Meanings of 购物

gòuwù(gou4wu4)
1shopping
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

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About 购物

购物Simplified
購物Traditional
16Strokes
—Radical
名词míngcínoun (n.)Part of Speech
#2641Frequency Rank
HSK 2.0L4HSK 3.0L4IntermediateTOCFLL4HSKKL2CEFRB1

Podcast: 购物

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Podcast: 购物

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AI Study Notes for 购物

Quick Contrast

购物 (gòuwù) vs 买东西 (mǎi dōngxī): 购物 emphasizes the experience of shopping as a whole, while 买东西 focuses specifically on the act of buying items.

Usage Notes

Be cautious with the tone; the correct pronunciation is gòu (4th tone) and wù (4th tone). Common collocations include 购物中心 (shopping center) and 购物车 (shopping cart). Avoid using it in overly formal contexts where '消费' (consumption) might be more appropriate.

HSK Study Tips

As HSK Level 4, 购物 connects with vocabulary related to daily life and transactions. Focus on using it in context with related terms such as 买 (mǎi - to buy) and 卖 (mài - to sell) to deepen understanding.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 购物 with 消费 (xiāofèi), which is more general and refers to consumption rather than the act of shopping itself. For example, saying '我去消费' instead of '我去购物' can lead to ambiguity.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 购物

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Component Characters

购gòuto buy
HSK 78 strokes贝
View full entry
物wùthing
HSK 28 strokes牛
View full entry

How to say shopping in Chinese

“shopping” in Chinese is购物gòuwù

购物 (gòuwù) means 'shopping' in Mandarin, referring to the activity of purchasing goods or services. It's commonly used in both everyday conversation and formal contexts when discussing consumer behavior or retail experiences.

When to use 购物

Be cautious with the tone; the correct pronunciation is gòu (4th tone) and wù (4th tone). Common collocations include 购物中心 (shopping center) and 购物车 (shopping cart). Avoid using it in overly formal contexts where '消费' (consumption) might be more appropriate.

购物 or something close to it

购物 (gòuwù) vs 买东西 (mǎi dōngxī): 购物 emphasizes the experience of shopping as a whole, while 买东西 focuses specifically on the act of buying items.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 购物 with 消费 (xiāofèi), which is more general and refers to consumption rather than the act of shopping itself. For example, saying '我去消费' instead of '我去购物' can lead to ambiguity.

Write 购物

购
物

Practice writing 购物 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Grammar Patterns of 购物

购物 functions as a noun — it names a person, place, thing, or concept. Place it as a subject before the verb (主+谓) or as an object after the verb (谓+宾). Most Chinese nouns require a measure word between the number and the noun (e.g. 一个/三本). The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.

Exercise 1 of 4

Fill the gap

Type the missing word. Pinyin works; then pick the character.

新的____中心耗资110万建成。

The new shopping centre was constructed at a cost of 1 million.

Example Sentences for 购物 (10)

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1
新的购物中心耗资110万建成。

xīn de gòu wù zhōng xīn hào zī110 110 wàn jiàn。

The new shopping centre was constructed at a cost of 1 million.
2
你想做的事就只是去购物！

nǐ xiǎng zuò de shì jiù zhī shì qù gòu wù！

All you ever want to do is go shopping!
3
光是摆在那里的各式商品就让一些购物者晕头转向了。

guāng shì bǎi zài nà lǐ de gè shì shāng pǐn jiù ràng yī xiē gòu wù zhě yùn tóu zhuǎn xiàng le。

Some shoppers looked bewildered by the sheer variety of goods on offer.
4
警方的射击手开火回击时，购物者们躲在汽车后面。

jǐng fāng de shè jī shǒu kāi huǒ huí jī shí， ， gòu wù zhě mén duǒ zài qì chē hòu。

Shoppers took cover behind cars as police marksmen returned fire.
5
两名男子突然用肘在购物者中挤出一条路。

liǎng míng nán zǐ tū rán yòng zhǒu zài gòu wù zhě zhōng jǐ chū yī tiáo lù。

Two men suddenly elbowed a passage through the shoppers.
6
在该住宅区的小型购物街上有一半商店都已封上了门窗。

zài gāi zhù zhái qū de xiǎo xíng gòu wù jiē shàng yǒu yī bàn shāng diàn dū yǐ fēng shàng le mén chuāng。

Half the shops are boarded up on the estate's small shopping street.
7
我想这个故事的寓意是提醒购物者当心。

wǒ xiǎng zhè gè gù shì de yù yì shì tí xǐng gòu wù zhě dāng xīn。

I think the moral of the story is let the buyer beware.
8
荒谬的是，这样会使得购物者支付过多的钱让农民去种太多的粮食。

huāng miù de shì， ， zhè yàng huì shǐ dé gòu wù zhě zhī fù guò duō de qián ràng nóng mín qù zhǒng tài duō de liáng。

Absurdly, it makes shoppers overpay farmers to grow too much food.
9
他俯下身去提装着食品杂货的购物袋。

tā fǔ xià shēn qù tí zhuāng zháo shí pǐn zá huò de gòu wù dài。

He stooped to pick up the carrier bag of groceries.
10
去梅多霍尔购物中心也非常方便。

qù méi duō huò ěr gòu wù zhōng xīn yě fēi cháng fāng biàn。

Meadowhall is also dead easy for people to get to.

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Cultural Notes for 购物

🌏Cross-cultural Insight

While shopping is a universal concept, in China, the integration of online shopping with social media platforms is particularly pronounced, influencing consumer behavior more than in many Western cultures.

Frequently Asked Questions about 购物

You can say '我喜欢购物' (I like shopping) to express your interest.

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