Writing
不 (bù) — how to say "no" in Chinese
不
No, not
negation adverb
How to use it
Goes before a verb or adjective.
我不吃肉。
wǒ bù chī ròu
I don't eat meat.
Radicals / Keys
One
#1 · yī · 1 stroke
Collocations
不是
bú shì
is not
不去
bú qù
not go
不知道
bù zhīdào
don't know
Examples
我不想去医院,我想在家。
I don't want to go to the hospital, I want to be at home.
我不去
I will not go.
Mnemonic

[bù-] Buffy the Vampire Slayer stands before a 不 "NO" sign in the cemetery 🚫. The sign reads: "不 NO VAMPIRES ALLOWED!" Buffy nods, knowing that tonight there will be 不 no vampire trouble in this area.
Frequently asked questions
No in Chinese Mandarin
"no" in Chinese is 不 (bù).
不 meaning in English
不 (bù) means "No, not".
No in Mandarin pronunciation
It is pronounced bù (written as bu). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "no" in Chinese characters?
It is written 不 and has 4 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 不?
不 belongs to the HSK 1 vocabulary list.
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