Meaning of 不客气
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- you're welcome
- don't mention it
- impolite
- rude
- blunt
How to use 不客气
It is the standard reply when someone says 谢谢 (xièxie). It can also describe someone as blunt or rude, as in 他说话很不客气 (tā shuōhuà hěn bù kèqì), he speaks very bluntly. Example: 谢谢你。不客气。(Xièxie nǐ. Bù kèqì.) Thank you. You're welcome.
不 (bù) means not, and 客气 (kèqì) means acting like a polite guest (客 kè, guest). So 不客气 literally says don't act like a guest with me, which is why it means you're welcome.
Common mistake: Learners often say bú kèqì with the wrong tone on 不, but 不 only changes to bú before a fourth tone, and 客 (kè) is fourth tone, so it is actually bú kèqi in speech. Also do not confuse 气 (qì) with 汽 (qì) as in 汽车 (qìchē).
不客气 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
客 kè · guest · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
气 qì · gas · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 不客气.
| 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 |
| 生气 | shēngqì | to get angry; to be furious; vitality; liveliness |
| 天气 | tiānqì | weather |
| 不大 | bù dà | not very (clear, far away etc); not too; not often; infrequently |
| 不对 | bùduì | incorrect; wrong |
| 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 不客气
What does 不客气 mean?
不客气 (bù kèqì) means "you're welcome; don't mention it".
How do you write 不客气?
不客气 is made of 3 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 客 (9 strokes), 气 (4 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 不客气 an HSK word?
Yes. 不客气 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 不客气 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 不客气 is written 不客氣.
What else can I say instead of 不客气?
Common alternatives are 不用谢 (bú yòng xiè), no need to thank me, and 没事 (méi shì), it's nothing. 没事 is more casual and also works as a reply to 对不起 (duìbuqǐ).
Can 不客气 sound rude?
As a reply to thanks it is always polite. But used to describe behavior, like 对他不客气 (duì tā bú kèqi), it means being harsh or not holding back, and 别怪我不客气 is a warning like don't blame me if I get tough.