“No” in Chinese: how to say it and how to write it
No
“No” in Chinese is most often 不, bù. But Chinese has no single word for “no” the way English does: 不 means “not”, and you don’t answer with it on its own but together with the verb from the question. “Are you a teacher?” — “Not am.” “Do you want it?” — “Not want.”
How to say “no” in answer to a question
Take the key word of the question and put 不 in front of it:
- 不是búshìno, that’s not soto a question with 是
- 不要búyàono, I don’t want itwhen offered something
- 不好bùhǎono, not good
- 不对búduìno, that’s wrong
- 不行bùxíngno, you can’ta refusal
- 没有méiyǒuno, I don’t haveto a question with 有
“Are you Chinese?” — 不是. “Do you need a bag?” — 不要. “How about tomorrow?” — 不行. “Do you have time?” — 没有. Here is how it sounds in full sentences:
- 我不是中国人。wǒbúshìZhōngguórénI’m not Chinese
- 我没有时间。wǒméiyǒushíjiānI don’t have time
- 明天不行，我有事。míngtiānbùxíng,wǒyǒushìtomorrow doesn’t work, I have something on
不 vs 没: what’s the difference
- 不bùnotnow, usually, in the future
- 没méinot (didn’t happen, don’t have)the past and 有
不 negates what is true now, what usually happens or what will happen: 我不去 — “I’m not going”, 我不忙 — “I’m not busy”. says that something didn’t happen: 我没去 — “I didn’t go”. And the verb 有, “to have”, has only one negative: 没有. You can never say 不有.
That is why 没有 is also the short “no” to a question about the past. “Have you eaten yet?” — 没有, “not yet”. But to a question about plans — “are you going?” — you answer with 不: 不去.
How to pronounce 不: bù or bú
On its own 不 is the fourth tone, the voice falls: bù. But before another fourth tone it changes to the second, rising tone: 不是 is read búshì, 不要 — búyào, 不对 — búduì. Before the other tones it stays as it is: bù hǎo, bùxíng. Two falls in a row are awkward to say, so the first one rises. The b is not voiced like the English b in “boo”: it is closer to the p in “spoon”, with no puff of air. More on tones in “Chinese tones”.
How to say no politely
A bare 不 on its own sounds blunt, like a curt “No.” A soft refusal is , and better still 不用，谢谢 — “no need, thanks”. That is what you say to a shop assistant, a taxi driver, anyone offering help.
- 不用买，我有。búyòngmǎi,wǒyǒuno need to buy it, I have one
The other side of the coin is “yes” in Chinese: it works the same way, just without 不.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “no” in Chinese?
“No” in Chinese is 不, in pinyin bù.
How do you pronounce 不?
不 is read bù. The marks over the vowels are the tones: each syllable has its own melody, so listen to the recording on this page and repeat it.
How do you write “no” in Chinese characters?
不 is 1 character. What each one means and how the phrase is put together is explained on this page.
What does 不 mean?
不 (bù) means “no”.
Learn to say no in Chinese
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