唔 (wú) - not & no

唔Tone 2

wú ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

万响

唔 · wú

not;

no;

negative particle used in Cantonese and other southern Chinese dialects;

also used as an interjection expressing hesitation or realization.

notnonegative particle used in Cantonese and other southern

Usage highlights

don't knowdon't wantnot goodcannotdon't understandnot going

Synonyms

  • 不— not (standard Mandarin negative)
  • 没— not have; didn't (Mandarin)

Antonyms

  • 是— yes; to be (affirmative)
  • 有— have; exists (affirmative)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I don't know (我唔知 in Cantonese).
  • He said no (佢讲唔 in Cantonese).
  • Wait, let me think (唔...等我谂下 in Cantonese).
  • Oh, I see now (唔，我明啦 in Cantonese).

Collocations

  • don't know(唔知)
  • don't want(唔要)
  • not good(唔好)
  • cannot(唔得)
  • don't understand(唔明)
  • not going(唔去)

Idioms

  • Half understanding(半明唔白)
  • Neither human nor ghost(人唔人鬼唔鬼)
  • Neither fish nor fowl(唔汤唔水)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Primarily used in Cantonese and other southern Chinese dialects as a negative particle.
  • In Mandarin, this character is rarely used and may be unfamiliar to northern speakers.
  • The character represents an important grammatical marker in Yue Chinese (Cantonese) varieties.

FAQ