Wǒ bù shūfu (我不舒服。): I don't feel well in Chinese

我不舒服。

wǒ bù shūfu

I don't feel well

Character breakdown

我

I, me

wǒ

不

not, no

bù

舒服

comfortable, well

shūfu

Grammar and structure

我 (wǒ) is 'I', 不 (bù) is 'not', and 舒服 (shūfu) means 'comfortable' or 'feeling well'. The structure is subject + negation + adjective, meaning 'I am not comfortable'.

Variations and politeness

我有点不舒服

wǒ yǒudiǎn bù shūfu

I'm a little uncomfortable. — Softer, less direct than the base phrase.

我感觉不太好

wǒ gǎnjué bù tài hǎo

I don't feel too good. — More casual and conversational.

我生病了

wǒ shēngbìng le

I'm sick. — More serious, implies an actual illness.

Mini dialogue

你怎么了？

nǐ zěnme le?

What's wrong with you?

我不舒服。

wǒ bù shūfu.

I don't feel well.

你需要看医生吗？

nǐ xūyào kàn yīshēng ma?

Do you need to see a doctor?

是的，我想去。

shì de, wǒ xiǎng qù.

Yes, I want to go.

When to use it

Appropriate

When you feel generally unwell, such as having a headache, stomachache, or fatigue.
When you need to inform someone, like a friend, family member, or doctor, that you are not feeling well.
When you want to politely decline an activity or request because you are not feeling well.

Avoid when

When you want to describe a specific symptom in detail; instead, say the symptom directly, like 我头疼 (wǒ tóu téng) for headache.
When you are referring to emotional discomfort or feeling uneasy about a situation; use 我不开心 (wǒ bù kāixīn) for unhappy or 我不自在 (wǒ bù zìzài) for uneasy.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I don't feel well' in Chinese?

You say 我不舒服 (wǒ bù shūfu). It literally means 'I not comfortable' and is used for any kind of physical discomfort.

How do you pronounce 我不舒服?

It's pronounced wǒ bù shūfu. The tones are: wǒ (3rd tone), bù (4th tone), shū (1st tone), fu (neutral tone).

When do you use 我不舒服?

Use it whenever you feel physically unwell, such as when you have a headache, stomachache, or just feel off. It's appropriate in both casual and formal situations.