Meaning of 是否
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- whether (or not)
- if
- is or isn't
How to use 是否
是否 is a formal, written-style way to say "whether" and is common in news, forms, and official notices. In everyday speech people usually say 是不是 (shì bu shì) instead. Example: 请问你是否同意？(Qǐngwèn nǐ shìfǒu tóngyì?) May I ask whether you agree?
是否 is built from 是 (shì) "is" and 否 (fǒu) "not". Put "is" next to "is not" and you get "whether or not".
Common mistake: Learners often add 吗 (ma) to a 是否 question, as in 你是否同意吗. This is wrong because 是否 already makes it a question. Also remember that 否 is third tone (fǒu), not fourth.
是否 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.
是 shì · to be · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
否 fǒu · no · 7 strokes
- 1
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- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 是否.
| 还是 | háishi | still (as before); had better |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 但是 | dànshì | but; however |
| 可是 | kěshì | but; however; (used for emphasis) indeed |
| 正是 | zhèngshì | is precisely |
| 老是 | lǎoshì | always |
| 就是 | jiùshì | exactly; precisely; only; simply; just |
| 只是 | zhǐshì | merely; only; just; nothing but; simply |
| 要是 | yàoshi | (coll.) if |
| 总是 | zǒngshì | always |
| 否认 | fǒurèn | to declare to be untrue; to deny |
| 有的是 | yǒudeshì | have plenty of; there's no lack of |
Questions about 是否
What does 是否 mean?
是否 (shìfǒu) means "whether (or not); if" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 是否?
是否 is made of 2 characters: 是 (9 strokes), 否 (7 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 是否 an HSK word?
Yes. 是否 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 是否 and 是不是?
They mean the same thing, but 是否 sounds formal and written, while 是不是 is casual and spoken. 是不是 can also go at the end of a sentence to ask for confirmation, like 你累了，是不是? 是否 cannot be used that way.
Can 是否 be followed directly by a verb or adjective?
Yes. 是否 usually comes right before the verb or adjective it questions, for example 是否需要 (shìfǒu xūyào) "whether it is needed" or 是否正确 (shìfǒu zhèngquè) "whether it is correct". You do not need to add another 是 after it.