貨

See also: 货, 賃, and 貸

貨	U+8CA8, 貨 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-8CA8

← 貧
[U+8CA7]

CJK Unified Ideographs

販 →
[U+8CA9]

Translingual

Han character

貨 (Kangxi radical 154, 貝+4, 11 strokes, cangjie input 人心月山金 (OPBUC), four-corner 2480₆, composition ⿱化貝)

Descendants

货

References

Kangxi Dictionary: page 1205, character 12
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 36678
Dae Jaweon: page 1667, character 2
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 6, page 3627, character 1
Unihan data for U+8CA8

Chinese

trad.		貨
simp.		货

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 貨
Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (化) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
訛	*ŋʷaːl
吪	*ŋʷaːl
鈋	*ŋʷaːl
囮	lu, ŋʷaːl
魤	*ŋʷaːl
靴	*hʷa
貨	*hŋʷaːls
花	*hʷraː
化	*hŋʷraːls
杹	*hŋʷraːls
匕	*pilʔ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *hŋʷaːls): phonetic 化 (OC *hŋʷraːls) + semantic 貝 (“shell, money”) – valuable goods.

Etymology

Related to 訛 (OC *ŋʷaːl, “to change”), 化 (OC *hŋʷraːls, “to transform”) (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): huò (huo⁴)

(Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄛˋ
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): fo³

(Taishan, Wiktionary): fo¹
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): fo

(Hailu, HRS): fo^ˇ

(Meixian, Guangdong): fo⁴
Jin (Wiktionary): hue³
Northern Min (KCR): hua̿
Eastern Min (BUC): huó
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): hè / hèr / hòe / hò / hòⁿ

(Teochew, Peng'im): huê³
Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ⁵hu / ⁵hou
Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): ho⁴

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: huò
  - Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄛˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: huò
  - Wade–Giles: huo⁴
  - Yale: hwò
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: huoh
  - Palladius: хо (xo)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xu̯ɔ⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: fo³
  - Yale: fo
  - Cantonese Pinyin: fo³
  - Guangdong Romanization: fo³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /fɔː³³/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: fo¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /fᵘɔ³³/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fo
  - Hakka Romanization System: fo
  - Hagfa Pinyim: fo⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /fo⁵⁵/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: fo^ˇ
  - Sinological IPA: /fo¹¹/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: fo⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /fo⁵³/
Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: hue³
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /xuɤ⁴⁵/
Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: hua̿
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xua³³/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: huó
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /huɔ²¹³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Jinjiang, Taipei, Magong, Hsinchu, Taichung, Philippines)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hè
  - Tâi-lô: hè
  - Phofsit Daibuun: hex
  - IPA (Xiamen): /he²¹/
  - IPA (Jinjiang, Philippines): /he⁴¹/
  - IPA (Taipei): /he¹¹/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Lukang, Sanxia, Kinmen, Hsinchu)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hèr
  - Tâi-lô: hèr
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /hə⁴¹/
  - IPA (Lukang): /hə³¹/
  - IPA (Kinmen): /hə¹²/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Yilan, Tainan, Kaohsiung)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hòe
  - Tâi-lô: huè
  - Phofsit Daibuun: hoex
  - IPA (Zhangzhou, Yilan, Tainan, Kaohsiung): /hue²¹/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Kaohsiung)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hò
  - Tâi-lô: hò
  - Phofsit Daibuun: hoix
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /hɤ²¹/
  - IPA (Xiamen): /ho²¹/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Taipei)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hòⁿ
  - Tâi-lô: hònn
  - Phofsit Daibuun: hvox
  - IPA (Taipei): /hɔ̃¹¹/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /hɔ̃⁴¹/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /hɔ̃²¹/

Note:

hè/hèr/hòe - vernacular;
hò/hòⁿ - literary.

(Teochew)
- Peng'im: huê³
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: huè
- Sinological IPA ^(key): /hue²¹³/

Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai, Chongming, Hangzhou)
  - Wugniu: ⁵hu
  - MiniDict: hu^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²hu
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /hu³⁴/
  - Sinological IPA (Chongming): /hu³³/
  - Sinological IPA (Hangzhou): /hu⁴⁵/
- (Northern: Suzhou)
  - Wugniu: ⁵hou
  - MiniDict: hou^去
  - Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /həu⁵²³/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: ho⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xo⁴⁵/

Middle Chinese: xwaH

Rime
Character	貨
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	曉 (32)
Final (韻)	戈 (95)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	呼臥切
Baxter	xwaH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/huɑ^H/
Pan Wuyun	/huɑ^H/
Shao Rongfen	/xuɑ^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/hwa^H/
Li Rong	/xuɑ^H/
Wang Li	/xuɑ^H/
Bernhard Karlgren	/xuɑ^H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	huò
Expected Cantonese Reflex	fo³

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*qʷʰˁaj-s/

(Zhengzhang): /*hŋʷaːls/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	貨
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	huò
Middle Chinese	‹ xwa^H ›
Old Chinese	/*qʷʰˁaj-s/
English	(movable) property, goods
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	貨
Reading #	1/1
No.	5325
Phonetic component	化
Rime group	歌
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	貨
Old Chinese	/*hŋʷaːls/

Definitions

貨

(literary) money and goods; property
殺人越貨／杀人越货 ― shārényuèhuò ― to kill people for their property
- 不貴難得之貨，使民不為盜。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
  不贵难得之货，使民不为盗。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]
  From: Tao Te Ching, 4^th century BCE
  Bù guì nándé zhī huò, shǐ mín bù wéi dào. [Pinyin]
  [N]ot to prize articles which are difficult to procure is the way to keep them from becoming thieves.
goods; commodities; products
現貨／现货 ― xiànhuò ― merchandise in stock

百貨／百货 ― bǎihuò ― general merchandise

退貨／退货 ― tuìhuò ― to return goods or merchandise

今日會有批貨送到嚟。 [Cantonese, trad.]
今日会有批货送到嚟。 [Cantonese, simp.]
gam¹ jat⁶ wui⁵ jau⁵ pai¹ fo³ sung³ dou³ lai⁴. [Jyutping]
(please add an English translation of this usage example)
currency
通貨／通货 ― tōnghuò ― currency
- 百姓憒亂，其貨不行，民私以五銖錢市買。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
  百姓愦乱，其货不行，民私以五铢钱市买。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]
  From: The Book of Han, circa 1^st century CE
  Bǎixìng kuìluàn, qí huò bù xíng, mín sī yǐ wǔ zhū qián shìmǎi. [Pinyin]
  (please add an English translation of this usage example)
(derogatory) used to refer to a person
吃貨／吃货 ― chīhuò ― one who eats all day and does nothing

蠢貨／蠢货 ― chǔnhuò ― idiot
- 光頭李，你什麼意思？這倆貨什麼玩意兒，我壓根就不認識！ [MSC, trad.]
  光头李，你什么意思？这俩货什么玩意儿，我压根就不认识！ [MSC, simp.]
  From: 2015 August 22, 芦宏伟 (Lu Hongwei), 《没种就别出来混》, in 《故事会》, →ISSN, issue 590, page 30
  Guāngtóu Lǐ, nǐ shénme yìsī? Zhè liǎ huò shénme wányìr, wǒ yàgēn jiù bù rènshí! [Pinyin]
  (please add an English translation of this usage example)
(Southern Min) thing; stuff
(obsolete) to bribe
(obsolete) to buy; to purchase
(obsolete) to sell
- 有鄉人貨梨於市，頗甘芳，價騰貴。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  有乡人货梨于市，颇甘芳，价腾贵。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: 1740, Pu Songling, 聊齋志異(Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio), Volume 1
  Yǒu xiāngrén huò lí yú shì, pō gān fāng, jià téng guì. [Pinyin]
  There was a villager, selling pears in a market. The pears tastes quite sweet, but they are somewhat expensive.
a surname

Compounds

References

“貨”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
“貨”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.

Japanese

Kanji

貨

(Fourth grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

Go-on: か (ka, Jōyō)^{←くわ (kwa, historical)}
Kan-on: か (ka, Jōyō)^{←くわ (kwa, historical)}
Kun: たから (takara, 貨)

Compounds

硬貨(こうか) (kōka): coins
貨幣(かへい) (kahei): currency

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
貨
か Grade: 4
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 貨 (MC xwaH).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) か [kà] (Heiban – [0])
IPA^(key): [ka̠]

Affix

貨(か) • (ka) ^{←くわ (kwa)^?}

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
貨
たから Grade: 4
kun'yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 貨 – see the following entry.

【宝たから】6

[noun] [from 759] treasure

Alternative spellings
財, 幣

(This term, 貨, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

Korean

Hanja

貨 • (hwa) (hangeul 화, revised hwa, McCune–Reischauer hwa, Yale hwa)

This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Vietnamese

Han character

貨: Hán Nôm readings: hóa/hoá

This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.