non-, un-, not

About this kanji

The kanji 不 means "not" or "non-" and is used to express negation. It does not have a kun'yomi, which means it only appears in compounds. A common compound is 不安 (ふあん), which means "anxiety"; it describes a feeling of unease. Another example is 不便 (ふべん), meaning "inconvenience," often used to talk about something that makes life more difficult. Additionally, 不明 (ふめい) means "unclear" and refers to something that is not easily understood. When using 不, remember it often helps to indicate that something is lacking or negative in nature.

Built from

Example sentences

• これは不可能です。

  This is impossible.

Meanings across languages

English

non-, un-, not

Tiếng Việt

không, chẳng, không có

日本語

非, 不, 無

한국어

비-

中文

非-

id

tidak

th

ไม่, ไม่-

es

no-, sin-

fr

non-, in-

de

nicht

pt

não-

Common compounds

• 不安ふあんanxiety, worry
• 不便ふべんinconvenience, disadvantage
• 不明ふめいunclear, unknown
• 不合格ふごうかくfailure, not passing (an exam)