否 meaning and stroke order
No, not, un-; final particle
How to write 否, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Meaning of 否
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to negate
- to deny
- not
- clogged
- evil
How 否 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. No.
不 gives the meaning and 口 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 否
A mouth 口 (kǒu) sits under 不 (bù, not), so picture a mouth saying "not." When someone opens their mouth to say no, they 否 (fǒu), deny or negate.
否 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It appears in words like 否认 (fǒurèn, to deny), 否则 (fǒuzé, otherwise), and 是否 (shìfǒu, whether), which is a formal way to ask yes or no questions. Example: 他否认了这件事。(Tā fǒurèn le zhè jiàn shì.) He denied this matter.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 否 with 杏 (xìng, apricot) or 吞 (tūn, to swallow), since all have a top part over 口. Check that the top is 不 (bù). Also, 是否 already means "whether or not," so do not add 吗 (ma) at the end of a 是否 question.
Common words with 否
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 否认 | fǒurèn | to declare to be untrue; to deny | HSK 3 |
| 否定 | fǒudìng | to negate; to deny | HSK 3 |
| 是否 | shìfǒu | whether (or not); if | HSK 4 |
| 否则 | fǒuzé | otherwise; if not; or (else) | HSK 4 |
| 能否 | néngfǒu | whether one can; whether it is possible | HSK 6 |
| 与否 | yǔ fǒu | whether or not (at the end of a phrase) | HSK 7-9 |
| 否决 | fǒujué | to veto; to overrule | HSK 7-9 |
| 可否 | kěfǒu | is it possible or not? | |
| 会否 | huìfǒu | can or cannot; is it possible? |
否 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 否
Learning 否 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 否
How many strokes are in 否?
否 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 否 mean?
否 (fǒu) means no, not, un-; final particle. A common word with it is 否认 (fǒurèn), meaning "to declare to be untrue; to deny".
How do you pronounce 否?
否 is pronounced fǒu, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 否?
The radical of 否 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 否 under this radical.
Is 否 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 否 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What is the difference between 否则 and 不然?
Both mean "otherwise." 否则 (fǒuzé) sounds more formal and is common in writing, while 不然 (bùrán) is more conversational. For example, 快走，否则会迟到 means "Hurry, otherwise you will be late."
When is 否 read as pǐ?
The reading pǐ means clogged or bad, and it mostly appears in classical texts and set phrases like 否极泰来 (pǐ jí tài lái), meaning that when bad luck reaches its peak, good luck follows. In everyday modern words, read it as fǒu.