不 and 没: How to Negate Correctly in Chinese
不 bù — negating habits, wishes, and qualities
不 bù is usually used when we say that a person does not do something in general, does not want something, does not like something, is not something, or will not do something.
The simplest structure is:
不 + verb / adjective
Examples:
我不喝咖啡。
wǒ bù hē kāfēi.
I don’t drink coffee.
他不喜欢茶。
tā bù xǐhuan chá.
He doesn’t like tea.
我不想去。
wǒ bù xiǎng qù.
I don’t want to go.
这个菜不好吃。
zhè ge cài bù hǎochī.
This dish is not tasty.
Here, 不 does not show a specific “did not do,” but a general negation: I don’t like it, I don’t want to, I don’t drink it, it is not tasty.
不 with adjectives
In Chinese, adjectives are often negated with 不.
Examples:
不大
bù dà
not big
不好
bù hǎo
not good / bad
不贵
bù guì
not expensive
不冷
bù lěng
not cold
In sentences:
这件衣服不贵。
zhè jiàn yīfu bú guì.
This item of clothing is not expensive.
今天不冷。
jīntiān bù lěng.
It is not cold today.
这个房间不大。
zhè ge fángjiān bú dà.
This room is not big.
Pay attention: before the fourth tone, 不 bù changes its tone and is pronounced bú.
For example:
不贵
bú guì
not expensive
不是
bú shì
is not / are not
不去
bú qù
not go
But in writing, the character stays the same: 不.
不 with 是: “not to be”
With the verb 是 shì — “to be” — we use 不.
不是
bú shì
not to be / is not
Examples:
我不是老师。
wǒ bú shì lǎoshī.
I am not a teacher.
他不是中国人。
tā bú shì Zhōngguó rén.
He is not Chinese.
这不是我的书。
zhè bú shì wǒ de shū.
This is not my book.
Here, we are not negating an action, but belonging to a category: not a teacher, not Chinese, not my book.
不 for future actions and intentions
If we say that we will not do something or are not going to do something, 不 is often used.
Examples:
我明天不去学校。
wǒ míngtiān bù qù xuéxiào.
I will not go to school tomorrow.
他今天不来。
tā jīntiān bù lái.
He will not come today.
我不买这个。
wǒ bù mǎi zhè ge.
I will not buy this / I am not buying this.
没 méi — negating a past action
没 méi is used when we say that an action did not happen.
Most often, this refers to the past.
Structure:
没 + verb
Examples:
我没去学校。
wǒ méi qù xuéxiào.
I didn’t go to school.
他没吃早饭。
tā méi chī zǎofàn.
He didn’t have breakfast.
我昨天没看电影。
wǒ zuótiān méi kàn diànyǐng.
I didn’t watch a movie yesterday.
她没买衣服。
tā méi mǎi yīfu.
She didn’t buy clothes.
Here, the important point is that we are not talking about a habit or a wish, but about a fact: the action did not happen.
没有 méi yǒu — “there is no” or “not to have”
With the verb 有 yǒu — “to have” or “to exist” — 没 is almost always used, not 不.
Correct:
没有
méi yǒu
there is no / not to have
Examples:
我没有钱。
wǒ méi yǒu qián.
I don’t have money.
他没有时间。
tā méi yǒu shíjiān.
He doesn’t have time.
这里没有咖啡。
zhèlǐ méi yǒu kāfēi.
There is no coffee here.
我没有哥哥。
wǒ méi yǒu gēge.
I don’t have an older brother.
In spoken Chinese, 没有 is often shortened to 没:
我没钱。
wǒ méi qián.
I don’t have money.
他没时间。
tā méi shíjiān.
He doesn’t have time.
不 and 没: comparing examples
Sometimes the same verb can be used with both 不 and 没, but the meaning will be different.
不去 and 没去
我不去。
wǒ bù qù.
I won’t go / I am not going.
我没去。
wǒ méi qù.
I didn’t go.
不去 shows a decision, intention, or habit.
没去 means the action did not happen.
不吃 and 没吃
我不吃肉。
wǒ bù chī ròu.
I don’t eat meat.
我没吃早饭。
wǒ méi chī zǎofàn.
I didn’t have breakfast.
不吃 means “I don’t eat it in general” or “I won’t eat it.”
没吃 means “I didn’t eat”; the action did not happen.
不买 and 没买
我不买这件衣服。
wǒ bù mǎi zhè jiàn yīfu.
I won’t buy this item of clothing.
我没买这件衣服。
wǒ méi mǎi zhè jiàn yīfu.
I didn’t buy this item of clothing.
不买 is a decision not to buy.
没买 means the purchase did not happen.
The main idea
Both 不 and 没 can be translated as “not,” but in Chinese they work differently.
不 is used to negate habits, wishes, future actions, qualities, and the verb 是.
没 is used for actions that did not happen, and also with the verb 有 in the meaning “there is no / not to have.”
At the beginning, the main rule is this: if the action was supposed to happen but did not happen, use 没. If you are talking about a habit, wish, future action, or quality, use 不.