不然 — otherwise

不然

bùrán

otherwise, or else

conjunction · HSK 5 · topic “Linking ideas”

How to pronounce it

不然 is read bù rán: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

bù — 4th tonesharply falling, like “Stop!”

rán — 2nd tonerising, like a surprised “huh?”

How to write it

不

bù — not, no

Before a fourth tone it is read bú: 不是 bú shì.

然

rán — so; however

At the bottom, 灬 “fire”.

Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “不然”.

Examples

Sentences from the course lessons with 不然. Tap the sound icon to listen.

快走吧，不然要迟到了。kuàizǒuba,bùrányàochídàoleLet's hurry, or we'll be late.

More words from the lesson “What if”

Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.

Frequently asked questions

What does 不然 mean?

不然 (bùrán) means “otherwise, or else”.

How do you write 不然?

不然 is 2 characters: 不 (bù) — not, no; 然 (rán) — so; however. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.

How do you pronounce 不然?

不然 is read bùrán. Tones: bù — fourth tone, rán — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.

“otherwise” in the lesson “What if”

This word is from the topic “Linking ideas” of HSK 5. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.

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