Sentence #4874063 from Tatoeba · translation adapted
How 没有 is built
Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.
没méihave not; not
氵water form of 水 · shuǐMeaning part
殳weapon · shūSound part
氵 hints at the meaning (water); 殳 (shū) hints at the sound. Compare it with méi.
Memory aidWater 氵 gives the meaning: it first meant “to sink under water”. Now it is mostly “not have”.
有yǒuto have; there is
有 is a single shape of 6 strokes. Learn it whole, then watch its stroke order below.
Memory aidA hand holding a piece of meat 月: to have.
How to write 没有
没 7 strokes · 有 6 strokes
Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.
Stroke order chart for 没有 (méiyǒu). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.
没有 (méiyǒu) means “not to have” or “there is not”. It is an HSK 1 word, so it is one of the words learners meet early.
Say it méiyǒu: méi with a 2nd tone, then yǒu with a 3rd tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 没有 is written 沒有. The pronunciation is the same.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type meiyou with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 没有 from the suggestions. Typing meiyou into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
没有 is an HSK 1 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.
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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.
没méi2nd tone, rising
有yǒu3rd tone, dipping
