Meaning of 不在乎
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- not to care
How to use 不在乎
不在乎 means not to mind or not to care, and it often takes an object directly or appears with 都 or 也 for emphasis. It can sound relaxed or a little cold depending on tone. Example: 他不在乎别人怎么说。(Tā bù zàihu biérén zěnme shuō.) He doesn't care what other people say.
Split it into 不 (bù, not) plus 在乎 (zàihu, to care about). Think of 在 (zài, to be at) as where your heart is: if your heart is not there, you do not care.
Common mistake: Learners often say 不关心 (bù guānxīn) when they mean 不在乎. 不关心 means not paying attention to or showing no concern for something, while 不在乎 means it does not bother you. Also keep 乎 in the neutral tone (hu), not hū.
不在乎 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
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- 2
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在 zài · to exist · 6 strokes
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- 6
乎 hū · interrogative or exclamatory final part… · 5 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 不在乎.
| 现在 | xiànzài | now; at present; currently |
| 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 |
| 正在 | zhèngzài | to be in the process of (doing sth); to be currently ...-ing |
| 在家 | zàijiā | to be at home; (at a workplace) to be in (as opposed to being away on official business 出差 |
| 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 |
Questions about 不在乎
What does 不在乎 mean?
不在乎 (bùzàihu) means "not to care" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 不在乎?
不在乎 is made of 3 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 在 (6 strokes), 乎 (5 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 不在乎 an HSK word?
Yes. 不在乎 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 不在乎 and 无所谓?
Both can mean you don't mind. 无所谓 (wúsuǒwèi) often means either option is fine, as in answering a choice. 不在乎 is about not being bothered by something specific, like money or others' opinions.
How do I say I really care in Chinese?
Drop the 不 and use 在乎 (zàihu), often with 很 or 真的: 我很在乎你 (Wǒ hěn zàihu nǐ), I care about you a lot. This is common in relationships and songs.