不要 (búyào) — Must not in Mandarin
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#204 most common word
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
不要 is pronounced búyào. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Búyào chídào.
Don't be late.
Hear it, then say it right
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 不要 mean?+
不要 (búyào) means "Must not" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 不要?+
不要 is pronounced búyào. It uses the tone 2 (rising), then the tone 4 (falling). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 不要 in Mandarin?+
不要 is the #204 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Words at a similar frequency
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Why some tones change in connected speech.
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