Writing
要不 (yào bù) — how to say "otherwise" in Chinese
要不
Otherwise; or else; how about...; maybe
conjunction
Character composition
要
to want, if
不
not
Radicals / Keys
襾
Cover
#146 · yà · 6 strokes
一
One
#1 · yī · 1 stroke
Synonyms
否则
otherwise
fǒuzé · formal, written
不然
otherwise, or else
bù rán · neutral, consequence
要不然
otherwise, or else
yào bù rán · neutral, general word
Examples
今天天气这么好，要不我们别待在家里了，去公园野餐怎么样？
The weather is so nice today, how about we don't stay at home and go for a picnic in the park instead?
快走吧，要不迟到了。
Let's go quickly, otherwise we'll be late.
Frequently asked questions
Otherwise meaning in Chinese
"otherwise" in Chinese is 要不 (yào bù).
What does 要不 mean in English?
要不 (yào bù) means "Otherwise; or else; how about...; maybe".
How is 要不 pronounced?
It is pronounced yào bù (written as yao bu, yaobu). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "otherwise" in Chinese characters?
It is written 要不: 要 has 9 strokes, 不 has 4 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 要不?
要不 belongs to the HSK 5 vocabulary list.
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