不(bù) and 没 (méi) are negation words in Mandarin Chinese. They both mean "not".
But that's where the similarity ends...
The way the two words are used is different. So how do you know when to say 不(bù) and when to say 没 (méi)?
In this lesson we'll look at 5 key differences that will help you pick the right negation word for the right situation.
Let's go!
Summary Of Differences Between 不(bù) and 没 (méi)
#1: "Time" & "Tense"
不 bù | 没 méi |
|---|---|
不 bù is used to negate actions in the present and future. | 没 méi is used to negate actions that happened in the past, or to state that something has not happened. |
不 bù is used to negate actions in the present and future.
If there’s something you don’t want to do or don’t intend to do ,use 不 (bù).
Examples:
wǒ bù xiǎng zuò fàn.
我不想做饭。
I don't want to cook.
wǒ míng tiān bù qù shàng bān.
我明天不去上班。
I am not going to work tomorrow.
没 méi is used to negate actions that happened in the past, or state that something has not happened.
Examples:
wǒ méi zuò fàn.
我没做饭。
I didn't cook. / I haven’t cooked.
wǒ zuó tiān méi qù jiàn shēn fáng.
我昨天没去健身房。
I didn't go to the gym yesterday.
wǒ méi qù guò jiā ná dà.
我没去过加拿大。
I haven’t been to Canada.
#2: Habits vs possessions
不 bù | 没 méi |
|---|---|
Only 不 bù negates habitual actions. | Only 没 méi negates the verb 有 yǒu (to have). |
Only 不 bù negates habitual actions.
To express that you do not have certain habits, use 不 bù.
Examples:
wǒ bù zuò fàn.
我不做饭。
I don't cook. (This means you are not in the habit of cooking.)
nǐ zǎo shàng bù jiàn shēn ma？
你早上不健身吗？
Don't you work out in the morning? (You’re asking if someone is not in the habit of working out in the morning.)
Only 没 méi negates the verb “有 yǒu” (to have).
没有 méi yǒu means "do not have", It can be used in the past, present or future.
Examples:
wǒ méi yǒu qián.
我没有钱。
I do not have money.
wǒ zuó tiān méi yǒu qián.
我昨天没有钱。
I didn't have money yesterday.
wǒ jīn tiān méi yǒu qián.
我今天没有钱。
I don't have money today.
wǒ míng tiān méi yǒu qián.
我明天没有钱。
I won't have money tomorrow.
wǒ yī zhí dōu méi yǒu qián.
我一直都没有钱。
I never have money.
Note that we sometimes omit the “有 yǒu” in “没有 méi yǒu” But it still means “do not have.”
Examples:
tā méi nǚ péng yǒu.
他没女朋友。
He doesn't have a girlfriend.
wǒ méi fáng， méi chē， méi qián，méi gōng zuò.
我没房，没车，没钱，没工作。
I don't have a house, car, money and job.
#3: Adjectives
不 bù | 没 méi |
|---|---|
不 bù negates adjectives | 没 méi usually doesn’t negate adjectives (but when it does, the meaning changes from “not” to “not become”). |
不 bù negates adjectives.
Here’s an example:
jīn tiān tiān qì bù lěng bù rè.
今天天气不冷不热。
"Today's weather is not cold, not hot".
You don’t say:
jīn tiān tiān qì méi lěng méi rè.
今天天气没冷没热。
Here’s another example:
wǒ jué de zhè dào cài bù là.
我觉得这道菜不辣。
"I think this dish is not spicy."
You don’t say:
wǒ jué de zhè dào cài méi là.
我觉得这道菜没辣。
As you just saw, 没 méi usually doesn’t negate adjectives. But when it does, the meaning changes from “not” to “not become”.
Examples:
tā méi pàng.
她没胖。
She has not become fat. (She has not gotten fat.)
tā bù pàng.
她不胖。
She is not fat.
tā méi gāo.
他没高。
He has not become tall. (He has not grown tall.)
tā bù gāo.
他不高。
He is not tall.
#4: Nouns and specific verbs
不 bù | 没 méi |
|---|---|
Only “不 bù” is used with these four verbs: 在 zài, 是 shì, 认识 rèn shí, 知道 zhī dào | Only “没 méi” can negate nouns. |
Only “不 bù” is used with these four verbs:
在 zài - 不在 bù zài
in / at - not in / not at
是 shì - 不是 bù shì
to be - not to be
认识 rèn shí - 不认识 bù rèn shí
recognize - not recognize
知道 zhī dào - 不知道 bù zhī dào
know - do not know
These can be used in the past, present and future.
Examples:
wǒ zuó tiān bù zài bàn gōng shì.
我昨天不在办公室。
I wasn't in my office yesterday.
tā yǐ qián bù shì gē shǒu.
他以前不是歌手。
He wasn't a singer before.
wǒ bù zhī dào tā shì nǎ guó rén.
我不知道他是哪国人。
I don't know which country he is from.
Only “没 méi” can negate nouns.
Examples:
méi qián
没钱
do not have money
You don’t say:
bù qián
不钱
méi péng yǒu
没朋友
do not have friends
You don’t say:
bù péng yǒu
不朋友
méi bàn fǎ
没办法
there is no way
You don’t say:
bù bàn fǎ
不办法
#5: Specific Language Functions
不 bù | 没 méi |
|---|---|
Only “不 bù” is used when Asking Questions. | Only “没 méi” is used when Making Comparisons. |
Only “不 bù” is used when Asking Questions.
“不 bù” is used when asking a yes or no question. This is done by using a verb or adjective plus its negative form.
Examples:
qù - bù qù
去 - 不去
go - not go
nǐ qù bù qù shàng hǎi？
你去不去上海？
Do you go to Shanghai?
chī - bù chī
吃 - 不吃
eat - not eat
nǐ chī bù chī dà suàn？
你吃不吃大蒜？
Do you eat garlic?
kǔ - bù kǔ
苦- 不苦
bitter - not bitter
kā fēi kǔ bù kǔ？
咖啡苦不苦？
Is the coffee bitter?
tián - bù tián
甜- 不甜
sweet - not sweet
xī guā tián bù tián？
西瓜甜不甜？
Is the watermelon sweet?
Only “没 méi” is used when Making Comparisons.
We use 没有 méi yǒu” or “没 méi” to make comparisons between things. This means “not as … as.”
Examples:
tā de zhōng wén méi yǒu wǒ de zhōng wén hǎo.
他的中文没有我的中文好。
His Chinese is not as good as mine.
wǒ de diàn nǎo méi yǒu tā de diàn nǎo guì.
我的电脑没有他的电脑贵。
My computer is not as expensive as his.
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