没
not have; not (negates 有 and past actions)
HSK level
- Pinyin
- méi
- Part of speech
- adverb
- Level
- HSK 1
- Strokes
- 7
- Register
- neutral
Stroke order for 没
没 is written with 7 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
What does 没 mean?
没 (méi) is Chinese's specialized negation word, used for exactly two cases: (1) negating possession or existence — 没有 (méi yǒu, 'don't have / there isn't'); and (2) negating completed past actions — 我没去 (wǒ méi qù, 'I didn't go').
Every other negation in Chinese uses 不 (bù) instead. English speakers should burn this in: you NEVER say 不有 — you say 没有. You NEVER say 不去 for past 'didn't go' — you say 没去. The rule is: 没 = didn't / don't have; 不 = don't / won't / am not.
没有 can be shortened to just 没 before another verb: 我没吃 = 我没有吃 (I didn't eat). 没 also stands alone as a short 'no' in response to 'have you...?' questions.
Memory hook: 没 has the water radical (氵) — think 'sunk under water, gone, not there.'
Example sentences
我没有钱。
Wǒ méi yǒu qián.
I don't have money.
spoken
他昨天没来。
Tā zuótiān méi lái.
He didn't come yesterday.
spoken
没关系。
Méi guānxi.
No problem. / It doesn't matter.
spoken
我还没吃饭。
Wǒ hái méi chī fàn.
I haven't eaten yet.
spoken
Common phrases with 没
Synonyms
无 is the literary / formal equivalent of 没有, used in idioms and writing (无人, 无问题). Never use 无 in everyday spoken Chinese — say 没 or 没有.
Don't confuse 没 with
This is THE classic beginner mistake. 不 negates everything EXCEPT 有 and past actions. 不去 = won't go / don't go; 没去 = didn't go. 不是 = is not; 没是 is WRONG (use 不是). 不有 is WRONG — always 没有.
美 ('beautiful') has the same pronunciation family but a 羊 (sheep) top, not 氵 (water). 美国 = America, 没有 = don't have.
FAQ
Acquire it by listening
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