How to Say “No” in Chinese

Ways to say it

The primary way to express negation or disagreement is through the particle 不. This form is used for habitual actions, current states or to negate present and future actions and adjectives. You can also use 没有 or 没 to indicate that an action has not occurred or to negate the existence of something. For instance, 没有 functions both as a verb meaning "to not have" and as a particle to show an action has not happened. Additionally, the phrase 沒有 or 没 can mean "not any". The phrase 不是 is used to mean "not" or "not properly".

Which one should you use?

The forms 不 and 没 serve different functions. Use 不 to negate present or future actions, adjectives or habitual actions and states. In contrast, use 没 or 没有 to negate the existence of something or to indicate that a past action has not occurred.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

否 is a formal or literary way to express negation, often found in written documents or classical Chinese. In informal situations, you might use 不要 to mean "Don't want" or 没门 to express a strong, definitive "No way". You can also say 我不要 to mean "I don't want".

Related words

Not any (det): 沒有 / 没有, 沒 / 没, 無 / 无.

Not, not properly (det): 不是.

How does it change in a sentence?

When using 不, the tone of the word changes from bù to bú if it is followed by another fourth tone syllable.

How do you pronounce it?

The romanization for the default form is bù.

What mistakes should you avoid?

English speakers often mistakenly use 不 to negate the verb "to have" (有), but you must use 没 to negate existence or possession.