没 (méi) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

没

méi[mei2]Tone 2

not have; did not

HSK 1

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沒

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · not have; did not

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:7

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (water) is compressed and slightly shorter, while the right component takes up the majority of the horizontal space with strong diagonal strokes.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 沒 retains the same structure as the simplified form 没; both use water on the left and the hand/baton structure on the right.

1. Meaning

have not, not

not existdid not (past tense negative marker)

Adverb / VerbNeutral#negation#grammar#existence

Sample Usage

我没有时间。
Wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān.
I do not have time.
他没去。
Tā méi qù.
He didn't go.

2. Sound

/[meɪ̯³⁵]/Tone: 35

没

méimei2

´(35)

=méi

Initial Consonant

Type: Bilabial Nasal

Sounds like: m sound as in 'mother'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Nasal resonance through nostrils.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips pressed together gently to voice nasal sound, then opening for the vowel.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: -ei rhymes with 'hey' or 'day'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ay'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T2 (35)

3 → 5 (35)

2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts in the middle pitch and rises sharply to the top, exactly like asking 'What?' in English when you didn't hear someone.

Sandhi: When followed by a 4th tone, méi retains its rising tone and does not change to a 2nd tone like bù does.

👂

Listening trap: Often confused with bù (不), but méi specifically negates the verb 有 (to have) or past actions, whereas bù negates general facts and present/future states.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A quick upward head nod or hand sweep rising from chest level to eye level, mirroring a curious question like 'May?'

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 7 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (water) is compressed and slightly shorter, while the right component takes up the majority of the horizontal space with strong diagonal strokes.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 沒 retains the same structure as the simplified form 没; both use water on the left and the hand/baton structure on the right.

4. Components

Radical 氵 · Water Radical (Water, liquid)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 氵 (Originally represented water flowing over something, later borrowed for phonetic and abstract meanings.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 殳 (original sound: shū / méi phonetic family connection historically via phonetic borrowing in ancient scripts.)

Water (氵) flows over and drowns or washes away (殳), leaving nothing behind—hence 'not having' or 'none'.

氵 Water radical on the left
殳 Weapon or action component on the right

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

9· Phonetic Root: 殳 (shū)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally written with water (氵) and a hand holding a weapon or tool (殳). It was phonetically borrowed early on to mean 'none' or 'exhausted like water drying up'.

Semantic Evolution: Over time, the original physical meaning was completely eclipsed by its grammatical function as the primary negative prefix for 'have' and past actions.

In classical Chinese, it was frequently interchangeable with 弗 or 无 to express non-existence.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine diving into a pool of water (氵) with a weapon/paddle (殳), but you find ABSOLUTELY NOTHING (méi) inside—the pool is bone dry!

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

没

méinot haveStandard negation word.

股

gǔthigh, shareUses flesh/moon radical (月) instead of water.

设

shèset up, establishUses speech radical (讠) on the left.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

不(bù)

不 (bù) is used for general or present/future negation ('no/not'), while 没 (méi) is specifically used for past actions or the verb 有 (to have).

每(měi)

每 means 'every' and has a top crown/box structure, whereas 没 has the water radical (氵) on the left.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

我今天[___]去学校。

Clue: méi

Common Learner Pitfall

Using 不 (bù) instead of 没 (méi) to negate the verb 有 (to have). You must always say 没有 (méiyǒu), never *不有 (*bù yǒu).

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see '没', what does it mean and how is it used?

Production: How do you write the character for 'have not / did not' (méi)?

没méinot have; did not

Speed:

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