Page 62 - Japanese Character Writing for Dummies

The lower part of this kanji is the character for shell 貝 kai. For a
long time, people used shells as money, especially in China. Today,
to buy we cannot use shells for kaimono (shopping), but Japanese

BAI/ka(u) people do enjoy eating shellfish. kau is a basic verb for “buy.”

Radical: 貝 Number of strokes: twelve

to sell During Japan’s period of high economic growth in the 1970s and

1980s, Japan was known to
uru (sell) good-quality, economi-
BAI/u(ru) cal items all over the world. Today, baibai (sales and pur-
chases) have become more difficult, but doing baibai still stimulates
the Japanese economy!

Radical: 士 Number of strokes: seven

56 Japanese Character Writing For Dummies