Meaning of 没事儿
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to have spare time
- free from work
- it's not important
- it's nothing
- never mind
How to use 没事儿
People say 没事儿 to reassure someone after an apology or thanks, or to say they are free. The 儿 ending gives it a casual, northern Chinese feel. Example: A: 对不起。B: 没事儿。(A: Duìbuqǐ. B: Méishìr.) A: Sorry. B: It's nothing.
Break it into its parts: 没 (méi) means "not have" and 事 (shì) means "matter" or "business," so 没事儿 is literally "no matter." If there is no matter, there is nothing wrong and nothing you have to do.
Common mistake: Learners often pronounce 儿 as a separate syllable, saying méi shì ér. It should blend into the end of 事 as one sound, shìr. Also, do not write 没 as 设 (shè). 没 has the water radical 氵 on the left, while 设 has the speech radical 讠.
没事儿 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.
没 méi · have not · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
事 shì · matter · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
儿 ér · son · 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
Related words
Words that share a character with 没事儿.
| 没有 | méiyǒu | haven't; hasn't |
| 这儿 | zhèr | here |
| 儿子 | érzi | son |
| 哪儿 | nǎr | where?; wherever; anywhere; somewhere |
| 没什么 | méi shénme | it doesn't matter; it's nothing; never mind; think nothing of it; it's my pleasure; you're |
| 女儿 | nǚ'ér | daughter |
| 那儿 | nàr | there |
| 没关系 | méi guānxi | it doesn't matter |
| 一会儿 | yīhuìr | a moment; a while |
| 一点儿 | yīdiǎnr | erhua variant of 一點|一点[yi1 dian3] |
| 女孩儿 | nǚháir | erhua form of 女孩[nu : 3 hai2] |
| 一块儿 | yīkuàir | erhua variant of 一塊|一块[yi1 kuai4] |
Questions about 没事儿
What does 没事儿 mean?
没事儿 (méishìr) means "to have spare time; free from work".
How do you write 没事儿?
没事儿 is made of 3 characters: 没 (7 strokes), 事 (8 strokes), 儿 (2 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 没事儿 an HSK word?
Yes. 没事儿 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 没事儿 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 没事儿 is written 沒事兒.
What is the difference between 没事儿 and 没什么 (méi shénme)?
Both can mean "it's nothing" or "never mind." 没事儿 is more often used to say you are fine or not hurt, or that you are free. 没什么 works better as a modest reply to thanks, like "think nothing of it."
Can I say 没事 without the 儿?
Yes. 没事 (méishì) means the same thing and is common in southern China, Taiwan, and in writing. The 儿 version sounds more like Beijing and northern speech.