不 (bù) — not; no.
Real origin: A flower's base with its petals gone, borrowed to mean 'not'.
Tone change: 不 is bù, but bú before a 4th tone (不是 bú shì). 不 (bù) tone change rules.
Example sentences with 不:
- 不，我不是老师。 — Bù, wǒ bú shì lǎoshī. — No, I am not a teacher.
- 我不想去学校。 — Wǒ bù xiǎng qù xuéxiào. — I do not want to go to school.
- 不，那本书不是我的。 — Bù, nà běn shū bú shì wǒ de. — No, that book is not mine.
- 他不在这儿工作。 — Tā bù zài zhèr gōngzuò. — He does not work here.
- 不，我不明白你的意思。 — Bù, wǒ bù míngbai nǐ de yìsi. — No, I do not understand what you mean.
- 这件衣服虽然贵，但不漂亮。 — Zhè jiàn yīfu suīrán guì, dànshì bú piàoliang. — Although this piece of clothing is expensive, it is not pretty.
Study 不 with SayMei flashcards, practice saying it aloud, or write it on a printable worksheet.