没问题
méi wèntí
In Chinese, "no problem" is expressed as 没问题 (méi wèntí).
没问题 is most commonly used to express agreement to a request, similar to how an English speaker might say "sure" or "will do". While it can be used to indicate that no apology is necessary, it is often more natural to use other phrases for that specific purpose.
Meaning: no apology is necessary (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 没 (méi), meaning "not have" and 问题 (wèntí), meaning "problem" or "question".
Which one should you use?
If you are responding specifically to someone apologizing to you, 没事 (méishì) is often a more natural choice than 没问题.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Cantonese dialect, "no problem" is commonly expressed as 冇問題 or 冇問題嘅.
How do you pronounce it?
méi wèntí
Did you know?
- In professional settings, if a boss asks if a task is possible, responding with 没问题 is a strong commitment. If the task later fails, the phrase is remembered as a personal guarantee rather than a casual 'sure'.
- While 没问题 focuses on the absence of a problem, Chinese speakers often use the phrase 不用客气 (bùyòng kèqì) as 'no problem' when responding to 'thank you', which literally means 'no need for politeness'.
- The character 没 (méi) is used here to negate existence. In Chinese, you cannot use the standard negation 不 (bù) with the verb 'to have', making 不问题 grammatically impossible.
Examples in context
- 没问题！No problem!Tatoeba #2043289 by sadhen, translation #413611 by blay_paul
- 结果是英国人平时没问题听得懂外国人说的话。The result is that English people usually have no problem understanding what foreigners say.This sentence uses 没问题 to describe the ability to understand something without difficulty.Tatoeba #888449 by eastasiastudent, translation #888450 by eastasiastudent
- 没问题。No problem.Tatoeba #343630 by fucongcong, translation #551443 by CM
Example conversation
Jiayi accidentally bumps into Junjie in the hallway.
- 佳怡 Jiayi对不起，我没看到你。Duìbùqǐ, wǒ méi kàndào nǐ.Sorry, I didn't see you.
- 俊杰 Junjie没问题，不用在意。Méi wèntí, bùyòng zàiyì.No problem, don't worry about it.
- 佳怡 Jiayi真的没关系吗？Zhēnde méi guānxì ma?Is it really okay?
- 俊杰 Junjie没问题，我没事。Méi wèntí, wǒ méishì.No problem, I'm fine.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
