Explore 不 through negative prefix in words. The examples connect whole words and their readings to everyday contexts.

The idea

不 has 4 strokes; follow their order in the linked KanjiVG diagram. Read 不安（ふあん） and 不便（ふべん） as complete words: a character’s reading depends on the word.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
不安ふあんI feel anxious before an exam.
不便ふべんThere are few buses, so this town is inconvenient.
不可能ふかのうDeparture today is impossible.

Examples

  • 試験しけんの前まえは不安ふあんです。I feel anxious before an exam.
  • 不思議ふしぎな話はなしですね。That is a strange story, isn’t it?
  • バスが少すくないので、この町まちは不便ふべんです。There are few buses, so this town is inconvenient.
  • 駅えきが遠とおくて、不便ふべんです。The station is far away, which is inconvenient.
  • 今日きょうの出発しゅっぱつは不可能ふかのうです。Departure today is impossible.
  • 初はじめてなので、少すこし不安ふあんです。I am a little anxious because it is my first time.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

不 is a negative prefix in set words, not a free-standing replacement for ない. 不便 and 不安 are na-adjectives; 不思議 is a fixed word meaning strange. Compare the shape of 不 with 下.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 不安 in hiragana.

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    ふあん

    不安 is read ふあん. In context: I feel anxious before an exam.

  2. Write the reading of 不便 in hiragana.

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    ふべん

    不便 is read ふべん. In context: There are few buses, so this town is inconvenient.

  3. Complete the missing kanji: ＿安（ふあん）［不／下］.

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    不

    不 completes 不安, read ふあん. In context: I feel anxious before an exam.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 不 from memory, and read 不安 and 不便 aloud. Then check their readings and make a sentence.