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How to say 'Not' in Japanese | 不

Wondering how to say 'Not' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Not is 'Fu', written as 不 in Japanese.'Not' in hiragana is ふ.

    word

    Meaning

    Not

    Reading

    fu

    Kanji

    Not

    Explanation

    The Japanese prefix '不 (ふ)' is used to negate or express the absence of a quality, state, or action. It is commonly attached to nouns or adjectives to form words that mean the opposite of the original term. For example: '不安 (ふあん)' means 'unease' or 'anxiety' (literally 'not peace'), and '不満 (ふまん)' means 'dissatisfaction' (literally 'not satisfaction'). This prefix is versatile and widely used in both formal and informal contexts. Example sentences: He is not satisfied「彼は不満です」(かれはふまんです). This situation is uncertain「この状況は不確かです」(このじょうきょうはふたしかです).

    Part Of Speech

    prefix

    Kanji JLPT

    N4

    Kanji Grade

    4

    Frequency

    209

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Not

Words Related to Through the Kanji

These 44 Words contain the Kanji 不 as well.

  • word

    不便

    Meaning

    Inconvenient

  • word

    不動産屋

    Meaning

    Real estate agent

  • word

    不親切

    Meaning

    Unkind

  • word

    不幸

    Meaning

    Misfortune, Unhappiness

  • word

    不意

    Meaning

    Suddenness

  • word

    不味い

    Meaning

    Awkward, Unappetizing

  • word

    不可欠

    Meaning

    Essential

  • word

    不要

    Meaning

    Unnecessary

  • word

    不快

    Meaning

    Discomfort

  • word

    不況

    Meaning

    Recession

  • word

    不倫

    Meaning

    Affair

  • word

    不安

    Meaning

    Anxiety

  • word

    不満

    Meaning

    Dissatisfaction

  • word

    不足

    Meaning

    Lack, Shortage

  • word

    不可能

    Meaning

    Impossible

  • word

    不十分

    Meaning

    Insufficient

  • word

    不明

    Meaning

    Unknown

  • word

    不良

    Meaning

    Bad, Delinquent

  • word

    不合格

    Meaning

    Failure

  • word

    不当

    Meaning

    Unjust

  • word

    不規則

    Meaning

    Irregular

  • word

    不利

    Meaning

    Disadvantage

  • word

    不必要

    Meaning

    Unnecessary

  • word

    不安定

    Meaning

    Unstable

  • word

    不運

    Meaning

    Misfortune

  • word

    不自然

    Meaning

    Unnatural

  • word

    不自由

    Meaning

    Discomfort

  • word

    不思議

    Meaning

    Mysterious

  • word

    不平

    Meaning

    Complaint

  • word

    不平等

    Meaning

    Inequality

  • word

    不注意

    Meaning

    Carelessness

  • word

    不確か

    Meaning

    Uncertain

  • word

    不器用

    Meaning

    Clumsy

  • word

    不公平

    Meaning

    Unfair

  • word

    不法

    Meaning

    Illegal

  • word

    不完全

    Meaning

    Incomplete

  • word

    不正

    Meaning

    Wrongdoing

  • word

    不景気

    Meaning

    Recession

  • word

    不幸せ

    Meaning

    Unhappy

  • word

    不在

    Meaning

    Absence

  • word

    不得意

    Meaning

    Poor

  • word

    不潔

    Meaning

    Unclean, Filthy

  • word

    不機嫌

    Meaning

    Displeased

  • word

    不愉快

    Meaning

    Unpleasant

Learn the Word

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What does 'Fu' (不) mean?

'Fu' means 'Not' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.