Meaning of 不好意思
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to feel embarrassed
- to find it embarrassing
- to be sorry (for inconveniencing sb)
How to use 不好意思
It is a soft, everyday way to say "sorry" or "excuse me" for small inconveniences, like bumping someone or asking a favor. It can also describe feeling shy or embarrassed. Example: 不好意思，我来晚了。(Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ lái wǎn le.) Sorry, I'm late.
Break it into 不 (bù, not) + 好 (hǎo, good) + 意思 (yìsi, meaning or feeling). When something does not feel good to you socially, you feel 不好意思: a little embarrassed or sorry.
Common mistake: Learners often use 不好意思 for serious apologies, where 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) fits better. Also note that 不 stays fourth tone here because 好 is third tone, so it is bù hǎo, not bú hǎo.
不好意思 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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好 hǎo · good · 6 strokes
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意 yì · thought · 13 strokes
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思 sī · to think · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 不好意思.
| 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 |
| 最好 | zuìhǎo | best; had better ...; it would be best to ... |
| 好吃 | hǎochī | tasty; delicious |
| 好看 | hǎokàn | good-looking; nice-looking; (of a movie, book, TV show etc) good |
| 好听 | hǎotīng | pleasant to hear |
| 爱好 | àihào | to like; to be fond of; to take pleasure in; to be keen on; interest; hobby |
| 不大 | bù dà | not very (clear, far away etc); not too; not often; infrequently |
| 好玩儿 | hǎowánr | erhua variant of 好玩[hao3 wan2] |
| 不对 | bùduì | incorrect; wrong |
| 不客气 | bù kèqì | you're welcome; don't mention it |
Questions about 不好意思
What does 不好意思 mean?
不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi) means "to feel embarrassed; to find it embarrassing".
How do you write 不好意思?
不好意思 is made of 4 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 好 (6 strokes), 意 (13 strokes), 思 (9 strokes). That is 32 strokes in total.
Is 不好意思 an HSK word?
Yes. 不好意思 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 不好意思 be used to get someone's attention?
Yes. Saying 不好意思 before a question to a stranger or waiter works like "excuse me" in English. For example, 不好意思，请问洗手间在哪儿？(Bù hǎoyìsi, qǐngwèn xǐshǒujiān zài nǎr?) Excuse me, where is the restroom?
How do you respond when someone says 不好意思 to you?
Common replies are 没关系 (méi guānxi), "it doesn't matter," or 没事 (méi shì), "it's nothing." Both are friendly and casual.