Meaning
(negative prefix); not; no
Chinese: 否定词，表示不是、没有或不做。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “bu” becomes a different word in each tone. 不 is the 4th tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.
Stroke Order
Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.
Common Words
- 不要bù yàodon't!; must not
- 不用bù yòngneed not
- 对不起duì bu qǐI'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down
- 不对bù duìincorrect; wrong; amiss; abnormal
- 是不是shì bu shìis or is not (used to form yes-no questions)
Example Sentence
今天我不想出门。Jīn tiān wǒ bù xiǎng chū mén.I don't want to go out today.
今天Jīn tiāntoday我wǒI不想bù xiǎngunexpectedly出门chū ménto go out。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
The origin is debated (often linked to a plant's calyx or roots). It was long used for the simple negative — ‘not, no’. Its tone shifts to bú before a 4th-tone syllable (不是 bú shì).
A way to remember it
The all-purpose ‘not’.
Easy to confuse with
- 下‘Down’: a similar shape, but the stroke and dot hang below the top line.