How to say “don't” in Chinese
don't
“Don't” in Chinese is 不要, bú yào: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
不要 is read bú yào: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
Before a fourth tone it is read bú: 不是 bú shì.
Below, 女 “woman”.
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 “不要”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 不要. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 我不要米饭wǒbúyàomǐfànI don't want rice.
- 请不要说话qǐngbúyàoshuōhuàPlease don’t talk.
- 月饼还剩两个，你要不要？yuèbingháishèngliǎngge,nǐyàobuyàoThere are two mooncakes left, do you want them?
- 不要的东西都扔掉吧。búyàodedōngxidōurēngdiàobaThrow away everything you don't need.
- 不要着急学一点儿是一点儿búyàozháojí,xuéyìdiǎnrshìyìdiǎnrDon't rush: every little bit you learn counts.
- 不要放弃自己的理想búyàofàngqìzìjǐdelǐxiǎngDon't give up on your dream.
More words from the lesson “At the restaurant”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “don't” in Chinese?
“Don't” in Chinese is 不要, pinyin búyào.
What does 不要 mean?
不要 (búyào) means “don't”.
How do you write 不要?
不要 is 2 characters: 不 (bù) — not, no; 要 (yào) — want; need. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 不要?
不要 is read búyào. Tones: bú — second tone, yào — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“don't” in the lesson “At the restaurant”
This word is from the topic “Food and shopping” of HSK 1. 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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