不
negative, non-, bad, ugly, clumsy
Readings
On'yomi
- フ
- ブ
Kun'yomi
—
Meaning
不 centers on negation and reversal: it marks something as not, non-, or the opposite of good, leading to senses like bad, ugly, or clumsy.
Most common words using 不
24 of 1,278- 不明ふめいN2
unclear; obscure; indistinct; uncertain; ambiguous
- 不ふN3
un-; non-
- 不安ふあんN3
anxiety; uneasiness; worry; apprehension; fear; insecurity; suspense
- 不思議ふしぎN4
wonderful; marvelous; strange; incredible; amazing; curious; miraculous; mysterious
- 不足ふそくN3
insufficiency; deficiency; shortage; lack; scarcity; deficit
- 不可能ふかのうN3
impossible
- 不満ふまんN3
dissatisfaction; discontent; displeasure; complaint; unhappiness
- 不要ふようN1
unnecessary; unneeded
- 不正ふせいN3
injustice; unfairness; wrongdoing; iniquity; impropriety; irregularity; dishonesty; illegality; fraud
- 不良ふりょうN1
bad; poor; inferior; defective
- 不味いまずいN4
bad(-tasting); unpalatable; unsavoury; unsavory; awful; terrible; unpleasant
- 不幸ふこうN3
unhappiness; sorrow; misfortune; disaster; accident
- 不動産ふどうさんN1
real estate
- 不倫ふりん
adultery; impropriety; (an) affair; immorality
- 不能ふのうN1
impossible; incapable (of doing); unable (to do)
- 不快ふかいN1
displeasure; discomfort; unpleasantness
- 不可ふかN3
wrong; bad; improper; unjustifiable; inadvisable
- 不安定ふあんていN3
instability; insecurity; crankiness
- 不利ふりN2
disadvantage; handicap; unfavorable position
- 不在ふざいN1
absence
- 不法ふほうN1
unlawful; illegal
- 不便ふべんN5
inconvenience; inexpediency; unhandiness
- 不審ふしんN1
doubt; suspicion; question; strangeness
- 不十分ふじゅうぶんN1
insufficient; inadequate; imperfect
Study
Etymology
不 is an ancient pictograph of a bird flying upward, later borrowed to express negation. The modern form is highly abstract and no longer resembles the original image.
Meaning mnemonic
The four simple strokes of 不 look like a barrier or a crossed-out sign, blocking or negating what comes before it. Think of it as a universal 'not' symbol.
Reading mnemonic
For フ, imagine a big red 'F' stamp on a test paper, marking it as a failure: F -> フ, and the stamp says 'not good enough'.