Meaning of 不同
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- different
- distinct
- not the same
- not alike
How to use 不同
不同 often goes before a noun with 的, or after a noun as a description. It also appears in the pattern A 和 B 不同 (A is different from B). Example: 我们的想法不同。(Wǒmen de xiǎngfǎ bù tóng.) Our ideas are different.
不 (bù) means "not" and 同 (tóng) means "same," as in 同学 (tóngxué), classmates who study at the same school. Put them together and "not same" gives you 不同, different.
Common mistake: Learners often write 不一样 and 不同 as if they always swap, but 不同 sounds more formal and is preferred before nouns, as in 不同的国家 (bù tóng de guójiā). Also note that 不 stays fourth tone here because 同 is second tone, so it is bù tóng, not bú tóng.
不同 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
不 bù · no · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
同 tóng · like · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 不同.
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 不用 | bùyòng | need not |
| 同学 | tóngxué | to study at the same school; fellow student |
| 不大 | bù dà | not very (clear, far away etc); not too; not often; infrequently |
| 不对 | bùduì | incorrect; wrong |
| 不客气 | bù kèqì | you're welcome; don't mention it |
| 不要 | bùyào | don't!; must not |
| 不过 | bùguò | only; merely |
| 不错 | bùcuò | correct; right |
| 不行 | bùxíng | won't do; be out of the question |
| 不好意思 | bù hǎoyìsi | to feel embarrassed; to find it embarrassing |
Questions about 不同
What does 不同 mean?
不同 (bù tóng) means "different; distinct".
How do you write 不同?
不同 is made of 2 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 同 (6 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 不同 an HSK word?
Yes. 不同 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say "A is different from B" with 不同?
Use A 跟 B 不同 or A 和 B 不同. For example, 中文跟英文不同。(Zhōngwén gēn Yīngwén bù tóng.) Chinese is different from English.
Can 不同 be used without 的 before a noun?
Yes, in short set phrases it often drops 的, such as 不同意见 (bù tóng yìjiàn), different opinions. In everyday speech, adding 的 is always safe.