不 (bù)

no; not so; (bound form) not; un-

HSK 3.1 level 1
4 strokes

Etymology

Pictograph of sepals of a flower. The modern meaning "no" is a phonetic loan.

Shuowen Jiezi

《說文》：“不，鳥飛上翔不下來也。从一，一猶天也。象形。”

Original meaning

sepal

Example sentences

不！ — No!
不。 — No.
不错。 — Not bad.
不急。 — There's no rush.
不是。 — No.

View all 50 example sentences for 不 →