不是 (búshì) — No in Mandarin
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#73 most common word
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
不是 is pronounced búshì. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Tā búshì lǎoshī.
She is not a teacher.
Hear it, then say it right
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 不是 mean?+
不是 (búshì) means "No" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 不是?+
不是 is pronounced búshì. It uses the tone 2 (rising), then the tone 4 (falling). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 不是 in Mandarin?+
不是 is the #73 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Words at a similar frequency
Master the tones first
What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
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