Meaning of 无所谓
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to be indifferent
- not to matter
- cannot be said to be
How to use 无所谓
无所谓 is very common in speech to say you do not mind or that something makes no difference. It often follows a choice, as in 我无所谓 (wǒ wúsuǒwèi) "I don't mind". Example: 吃什么我都无所谓。(Chī shénme wǒ dōu wúsuǒwèi.) I don't care what we eat.
Break it into 无 (wú) "without", 所 (suǒ) "that which", and 谓 (wèi) "to call or say". Literally it is "without anything worth saying", so there is nothing to comment on because it does not matter.
Common mistake: Learners often use 无所谓 as a polite answer, but with a flat tone it can sound dismissive or careless, so 都可以 (dōu kěyǐ) is safer when someone asks your preference. Also note that 谓 is fourth tone (wèi), not wéi or wěi.
无所谓 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.
无 wú · not to have · 4 strokes
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所 suǒ · actually · 8 strokes
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谓 wèi · to call · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 无所谓.
| 所以 | suǒyǐ | therefore; as a result |
| 所有 | suǒyǒu | all; to have; to possess; to own |
| 场所 | chǎngsuǒ | location; place |
| 所长 | suǒzhǎng | what one is good at; one's strong point |
| 无法 | wúfǎ | unable to; incapable of |
| 无论 | wúlùn | no matter what or how; regardless of whether... |
| 无聊 | wúliáo | bored; boring |
| 无数 | wúshù | countless; numberless |
| 无限 | wúxiàn | unlimited; unbounded; infinite |
| 所在 | suǒzài | place; location |
| 研究所 | yánjiūsuǒ | research institute; graduate studies |
| 无疑 | wúyí | undoubtedly; without doubt |
Questions about 无所谓
What does 无所谓 mean?
无所谓 (wúsuǒwèi) means "to be indifferent; not to matter" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 无所谓?
无所谓 is made of 3 characters: 无 (4 strokes), 所 (8 strokes), 谓 (11 strokes). That is 23 strokes in total.
Is 无所谓 an HSK word?
Yes. 无所谓 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 无所谓 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 无所谓 is written 無所謂.
What does 无所谓 mean in the sense "cannot be said to be"?
In more formal writing it can mean something does not deserve a certain label. For example, 这无所谓成功 (zhè wúsuǒwèi chénggōng) means "this can hardly be called success".
How is 无所谓 different from 没关系 (méi guānxi)?
没关系 mainly means "it's okay" or "never mind", often in reply to an apology. 无所谓 means "it makes no difference to me" and expresses indifference about a choice or outcome.