かう (買う・飼う): One Sound, Two Verbs (with Examples)
One sound, several kanji
When you hear かう, your brain has to pick between two everyday verbs that happen to share a reading. The good news: they're never actually confusing in real life, because what you buy and what you keep as a pet are completely different situations.
- 買う (かう) — to buy, to purchase. This is the one you'll use constantly: buying bread, a ticket, a gift.
- 飼う (かう) — to keep / raise / care for an animal. Used for pets and livestock: a dog, a cat, fish.
Both are transitive (you do them to an object, marked with を), and both are Group 1 う-verbs, so once you learn one conjugation you know both. The kanji is what keeps them apart in writing — 買 has 貝 ("shellfish," once used as money) at the bottom, a hint toward money and buying. So: hear the sound, read the kanji, done.
The meanings, most common first
1. To buy / purchase (買う)
ヤッタンはコンビニでパンを買う。
ヤッタンは コンビニで パンを かう。
Yattan buys bread at the convenience store.
2. To buy a ticket (切符を買う)
モチは駅で切符を買った。
モチは えきで きっぷを かった。
Mochi bought a ticket at the station.
切符を買う is a perfect everyday example — note the past tense 買った.
3. To buy a gift / something for someone (買う)
先生はヤッタンの弟にプレゼントを買ってあげた。
せんせいは ヤッタンの おとうとに プレゼントを かって あげた。
Sensei bought a present for Yattan's little brother.
買って here is the te-form — handy for ～てあげる (do something for someone).
4. To rate / value highly (高く買う) — figurative, N3
先生はヤッタンの努力を高く買っている。
せんせいは ヤッタンの どりょくを たかく かっている。
Sensei rates Yattan's effort highly.
高く買う = to think highly of. A figurative use you can recognize now and use later (N3).
5. To incur / earn (resentment) (恨みを買う) — figurative, N3
モチは言いすぎて人の恨みを買った。
モチは いいすぎて ひとの うらみを かった。
Mochi said too much and earned people's resentment.
恨みを買う = to bring resentment on yourself. Same verb 買う, but you 'buy' a bad feeling, not a thing (N3).
6. To keep / raise a pet (犬を飼う)
ヤッタンは犬を飼いたい。
ヤッタンは いぬを かいたい。
Yattan wants to keep a dog.
飼いたい = the ～たい (want to) form. Notice かい-, the same stem as 買う.
7. To keep / raise an animal (猫を飼う)
モチの家では猫を二匹飼っている。
モチの いえでは ねこを にひき かっている。
At Mochi's house they keep two cats.
飼っている = ongoing state, 'keeps / is keeping.' Identical conjugation to 買っている.
Notice how both verbs ride on the exact same conjugation: 買って／飼って, 買った／飼った, 買わない／飼わない. The only thing that changes is the kanji — and the picture in your head.
Common collocations worth memorizing
These pairings are the ones you'll meet first. Learn them as chunks:
| Collocation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| パンを買う | to buy bread |
| 切符を買う | to buy a ticket |
| プレゼントを買う | to buy a present |
| 買い物 (をする) | shopping (to go shopping) |
| 買い物に行く | to go shopping |
| 犬／猫を飼う | to keep a dog / cat |
| ペットを飼う | to keep a pet |
A note on 買い物: this is the noun shopping, built from the stem of 買う (買い) + 物 (thing). 買い物に行く ("go shopping") and 買い物をする ("do the shopping") are two of the most useful N5 phrases you'll ever learn.
Kanji & related verbs
The two kanji do all the work of telling these verbs apart:
- 買 writes the buy meaning. The bottom part is 貝 (shellfish), which was used as money in ancient times — a built-in reminder that this is the money verb.
- 飼 writes the keep an animal meaning. The left side is 食 ("food / eat"), which makes sense: keeping an animal means feeding it.
So if a sentence is about money, shops, or things, it's 買う. If it's about a living creature you look after, it's 飼う. Don't confuse 飼う ("keep an animal") with 買う in the sense of buying an animal — you can 買う a puppy at a shop, then 飼う it at home.
買う vs 飼う
Same sound, same conjugation — the meaning and the kanji are the only difference:
| Form | Core idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 買う (to buy) | Exchange money for goods; also figurative 'earn / rate' | パンを買う = (I) buy bread |
| 飼う (to keep an animal) | Raise, feed, and care for a pet or livestock | 犬を飼う = (I) keep a dog |
A quick test: ask "is money or a shop involved?" If yes, it's 買う. Ask "is it a living animal I look after?" If yes, it's 飼う. And remember they're twins in conjugation — both go to かって (te-form) and かった (past) through the same う→って euphonic change that all -う verbs follow (買う→買って, 飼う→飼って, just like 言う→言って).
Quick recap
- 買う = to buy; 飼う = to keep/raise an animal — same reading かう.
- Both are transitive Group 1 う-verbs: かって, かった, かわない (identical for both).
- Money or shopping → 買う; a pet or animal → 飼う.
- High-value chunks: 買い物, 買い物に行く, 切符を買う, 犬を飼う.
- Kanji clue: 買 has 貝 (money); 飼 has 食 (food).
Your turn
Ready to test your N5 vocabulary in context?
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
Is かう a ru-verb or u-verb?
Both 買う and 飼う are Group 1 (u-verbs / godan): かい-ます, かっ-て, かっ-た, かわ-ない. They conjugate identically.
What is the difference between 買う and 飼う?
買う (with 貝, 'money') means to buy. 飼う (with 食, 'food') means to keep or raise an animal. Same sound, different kanji and meaning.
How do I say 'go shopping' in Japanese?
Use 買い物に行く (かいものにいく). 買い物 ('shopping') comes from the stem of 買う. You can also say 買い物をする ('do the shopping').
Why does 買う become 買って and not 買いて?
う-verbs ending in -う take the って te-form through a sound change (euphonic change): 買う→買って, 飼う→飼って, 言う→言って. It makes the word easier to say.