Root with no plant

Pinyin	bù
Meaning	not; no; negative prefix
Radical	一	繁體字	same

n/a

category: ideograph

structure: single

4stroke count

HSK 1

Breakdown

不 (bù) was intended to represent a kind of dwelling built on trees and had a different form. After several changes in meanings and forms, now it has settled to be written as 不 and means “not.” To better remember the way we write this character, we can treat the horizontal stroke as the ground, and the part below this stroke as the root, namely, a root with no plant.

Used as a component

When 不 (bù) “not” stands as a component, it is usually a simplified replacement for the traditional part. But sometimes, it is a phonetic component. For example, 不 (bù) indicates the initial “b-” in 杯 (bēi) “cup.”

Used as a morpheme/word

As a word, 不 (bù) is a negator that means “not.” As a morpheme, 不 (bù) can form negative words and indicate contrasts.

How to pronounce

This character sounds like poo, as in “spoon.”