Are there other ways to say "No" in Mandarin Chinese?

不是 (bù shì) — no, it isn't: Denying a fact; 没有 (méiyǒu) — no, didn't / don't have: Negating past actions or possession; 不用了 (bù yòng le) — no need, thanks: Politely declining an offer.

How to Say "No" in Mandarin Chinese

Q: How do you say "No" in Mandarin Chinese?

不 (bù). Literally: "not". Like "yes", "no" is usually expressed by negating the verb: 不去 ("not going"), 没有 ("don't have"). 不 becomes rising (bú) before a fourth tone, as in 不是 (bú shì). A plain 不 alone can sound blunt.

不

bù

Literally: notneutral

Like "yes", "no" is usually expressed by negating the verb: 不去 ("not going"), 没有 ("don't have"). 不 becomes rising (bú) before a fourth tone, as in 不是 (bú shì). A plain 不 alone can sound blunt.

Other ways to say it

Mandarin Chinese	Pronunciation	Meaning	When to use it
不是	bù shì	no, it isn't	Denying a fact
没有	méiyǒu	no, didn't / don't have	Negating past actions or possession
不用了	bù yòng le	no need, thanks	Politely declining an offer

In a sentence

你要袋子吗？——不用了，谢谢。
Nǐ yào dàizi ma? — Bù yòng le, xièxie.
Do you want a bag? — No thanks.

More Mandarin Chinese phrases

“No” in other languages

🇬🇪 Georgianარაara 🇪🇸 SpanishNoNOH 🇫🇷 FrenchNonNOHN 🇩🇪 GermanNeinnine 🇮🇹 ItalianNoNOH 🇧🇷 Brazilian PortugueseNãoNOWNG 🇷🇺 RussianНетnet 🇯🇵 Japaneseいいえiie 🇰🇷 Korean아니요aniyo 🇸🇦 Arabicلاla 🇦🇲 ArmenianՈչvoch 🇦🇿 AzerbaijaniXeyrkheyr 🇮🇷 Persianنهna 🇹🇭 Thaiไม่ใช่mai chai 🇻🇳 VietnameseKhôngkhohng 🇺🇦 UkrainianНіni 🇷🇸 SerbianНеne 🇬🇷 GreekΌχιóhi 🇮🇱 Hebrewלאlo