How to Write 不 (bú/bù) — Meaning “not; no”

Imagine the top horizontal line as a 'no' sign's top bar, and the left-falling and vertical strokes as two arms crossing downward to form an 'X' shape, with the dot on the right as a final 'no' point. This visual of crossing arms helps you recall that 不 means 'not' or 'no'.

Write in this order: first the horizontal line, then the left-falling stroke from top to bottom-left, next the vertical stroke crossing the horizontal, and finally the dot on the right side. A common mistake is making the vertical stroke too long or placing the dot too far from the vertical; keep the dot close and slightly lower than the horizontal.

不 has four strokes including a left-falling stroke and a dot, while 丁 has only two strokes—a horizontal and a vertical hook—and means 'nail' or 'fourth'. 丂 is very rare and looks like a curved hook; unlike 不, it has no dot or left-falling stroke, and its meaning is unrelated to negation.

不 is the main negation word, placed before verbs or adjectives, as in 不去 (not going). Note the tone sandhi: it is usually pronounced bù (fourth tone), but changes to bú (second tone) before another fourth-tone syllable, like in 不客气 (bú kè qì, you're welcome). Culturally, using 不 in polite expressions like 不好意思 (sorry) is essential for everyday interactions.

Common words containing 不 include: 不客气 (bú kè qì) — you're welcome; 不好意思 (bù hǎo yì sī) — sorry / feel embarrassed; 不去 (bù qù) — not going.