不如 meaning in English
not equal to; not as good as; inferior to; it would be better to
Meaning of 不如
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- not equal to; not as good as; inferior to
- it would be better to
How to use 不如
不如 compares two things and says the first is worse: A 不如 B (形容词). It also suggests a better option, like "we might as well." Example: 坐车不如走路快。(Zuò chē bùrú zǒulù kuài.) Taking the bus is not as fast as walking.
不 (bù) means "not" and 如 (rú) means "like" or "as." So 不如 is literally "not as," meaning one thing does not measure up to another.
Common mistake: Learners often reverse the order. In A 不如 B, B is the better one, so 我不如他高 means he is taller than me. Also, don't add 比 (bǐ) after it: say 我不如他, not 我不如比他.
不如 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
如 rú · as · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 不如.
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 如果 | rúguǒ | if; in case; in the event that |
| 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 |
| 不同 | bù tóng | different; distinct |
Questions about 不如
What does 不如 mean?
不如 (bùrú) means "not equal to; not as good as; inferior to; it would be better to" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 不如?
不如 is made of 2 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 如 (6 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 不如 an HSK word?
Yes. 不如 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 不如 and 没有 in comparisons?
Both can mean "not as ... as," as in 我没有他高 and 我不如他高. 不如 can stand alone to mean "not as good as," as in 我不如他, while 没有 usually needs an adjective after it.
How do I use 不如 to make a suggestion?
Put it at the start of a clause to mean "why not" or "it would be better to." For example, 不如我们明天再去吧。(Bùrú wǒmen míngtiān zài qù ba.) We might as well go tomorrow instead.