How to Write 否 (fǒu/pǐ) — Meaning “no / not / to deny”

Imagine a person shaking their head and saying "no" with their mouth (口), and the word "not" (不) is written on their forehead. This visual of "not" + "mouth" helps you remember that 否 means "to deny."

Write the top part 不 first: horizontal stroke, left-falling stroke, vertical stroke, then a small dot. Then add the mouth 口 below with three strokes: vertical, horizontal fold, and final horizontal. A common mistake is making the top too wide or the dot too low; keep the 口 centered under the 不.

否 (fǒu) has 不 (not) above the mouth, meaning "to deny." 卟 (bǔ) is a rare character used only in transliteration, with a completely different structure (口 on the left and 卜 on the right). 古 (gǔ) means "ancient" and has a 十 (ten) above the mouth. Visually, focus on the top part: 不 vs 十 vs 卜.

否 is used in formal or written Chinese to express negation, such as in 否定 (to deny) and 否则 (otherwise). It also appears in the proverb 否极泰来 (pǐ jí tài lái), meaning "after great misfortune comes good luck"—note that here 否 is pronounced pǐ, an ancient reading. This character is common in academic or literary texts but less in everyday spoken conversation.

Common words containing 否 include: 否定 (fǒu dìng) — to negate / to deny / negative; 否则 (fǒu zé) — otherwise / or else; 否极泰来 (pǐ jí tài lái) — Out of the depth of misfortune comes bliss; things will mend when they are at their worst..