Writing Balance Rule: Keep the upper element (不) compact and balanced at the top, allowing the bottom element (口) to anchor the character squarely underneath with solid, vertical closing strokes.
1. Meaning
not, to negate, to deny
whether or not (in literary compounds)bad, inferior (classical)
Adverb / VerbFormal / Literary (common in compound words and formal structures)Bound morpheme#logic#negation#grammar
Sample Usage
是否
shì fǒu
whether or not
否定
fǒu dìng
to negate, to deny
2. Sound
/[fɤʊ̯²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
否
fǒufou3
|
++
ˇ(214)
=fǒu
Initial Consonant
f
Type: Labiodental Fricative
Sounds like: f sound like in English 'four'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Continuous smooth friction.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Top teeth gently touching the lower lip, blowing air continuously.
Final Rhyme
ou
Vowel Group: -o vowel group
Sounds like: -ou rhymes with oh / toe
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'oh'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T3 (214)
2 → 1 → 4 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips low and rises, exactly like asking 'Really?' in English with a skeptical drop and lift.
Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, fǒu changes to a 2nd tone (rising 35), e.g., 否认 (fǒu rèn becomes fòurèn in speech).
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse it with 4th tone words like 父 (fù) or 副 (fù). Listen carefully for the dipping contour that starts low and rises.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: dip down sharply from your neutral speaking height, touch the bottom, and sweep back up high.
3. Writing
Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 7 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: Keep the upper element (不) compact and balanced at the top, allowing the bottom element (口) to anchor the character squarely underneath with solid, vertical closing strokes.
Composed of 不 (not) on top and 口 (mouth) on the bottom. It pictures a mouth uttering 'not' or voicing a denial.
不 Not, negative prefix
口 Mouth, speech
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
7· Phonetic Root: 口 (kǒu)
5. History
Liushu category: Compound ideogram (会意)
Origin: Originally combined 不 (bird flying upward / not reaching) with 口 (mouth) to signify a negative response, disagreement, or an obstacle blocking speech.
Semantic Evolution: Over time, it solidified as a direct written and spoken counter-term for negation, denial, and 'not' in classical and modern Chinese.
In Classical Chinese, it is frequently used as a question particle equivalent to 'or not?'.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
phủ
Mandarin 3rd tone corresponds closely to the Vietnamese hỏi tone (thanh hỏi).
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: フ / Kun: 否.む, いな
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
부
Sound Shift Bridge: Shared East Asian literary root 'fu / phủ / bu / fu' used in legal and formal negations.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
You shake your head and use your **mouth** (口) to firmly say **'not'** (不) when someone offers you something you wish to **deny** (否).
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
否
fǒunot, to denyBase character with mouth at the bottom.
痞
pǐglomy, scoundrelAdds the sickness radical (疒) on top.
鉸
jiǎoscissorsUses metal radical (金).
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
不(bù)
不 is simpler (4 strokes) and serves as the general negative adverb. 否 is more formal and includes the 口 (mouth) component at the bottom.
杏(xìng)
杏 (apricot) has 木 (wood) on top instead of 不, and a mouth at the bottom.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
这件事情是真的[___]属实？
Clue: shì fǒu
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing 否 (fǒu) with 不 (bù) in conversational grammar. Remember that 否 is mostly used in compound words like 是否, 否定, or in formal/literary contexts, whereas 不 is the everyday choice for 'no / not'.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see '否' in formal text or compound words like '否定', what does it mean?
Production: How do you write the literary character for 'not / to deny' (fǒu) using 不 and 口?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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否fǒunot, to negate, to deny
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