The character 否 — “no”: how to write it and what it means
no, not (literary)
The Chinese character 否 is read fǒu and means “no, not (literary)”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 否
否 has 7 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 否, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 否 is made of
On top, 不 “not”; at the bottom, 口 “mouth”: to say “no”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 否
- 否则otherwiseHSK 4
- 是否whether, yes or noHSK 4
- 能否whether one canHSK 4
- 否认denyHSK 5
- 否定negate, reject; negativeHSK 5
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 否?
否 has 7 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 否 mean?
否 means “no, not (literary)”. It appears in 否则 (“otherwise”), 是否 (“whether”), 能否 (“whether one can”), 否认 (“deny”).
How do you pronounce 否?
否 is read fǒu. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 否 have?
7 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 否 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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