Languages › Mandarin Mandarin Vocabulary Yes and No Print Mandarin Vocabulary Mandarin History and Culture Pronunciation Understanding Chinese Characters By Qiu Gui Su Qiu Gui Su Chinese Language Expert Qiu Gui Su is a native Mandarin speaker who has taught Mandarin Chinese for over 20 years. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on April 26, 2017 Mandarin does not have specific words for saying “yes” and “no.” Instead, the verb which is used in the Mandarin question is used to make a positive or negative reply. For example, if the question was: Do you like rice? The answer could be: I like.orI don’t like. Answering Mandarin Questions Mandarin questions can be answered with the question verb. This verb can be either positive (to answer “yes”) or negative (to answer “no”). The positive form of the verb is simply the verb repeated: Q: Nǐ xǐhuan fàn ma? Do you like rice? 你喜歡飯嗎? A: Xǐhuan. (I) like. 喜歡。 If you want to say you don’t like rice, you would say bù xǐhuan. The Mandarin “No” To answer “no” to a question, the negative form of the question verb is formed using the particle 不 (bù). The only “irregular” verb is 有 (yǒu - to have), which uses 沒 (méi) for its negative form. Méi is also used for negating Functive Verbs (action verbs) when talking about past actions. In this situation, méi is a short form for méi yǒu and either form can be used. Mandarin Questions and Answers Q: Nǐ yǒu bǐ ma? Do you have a pen? 你有筆嗎? A: Méi yǒu. No (don’t have). 沒有。 Q: Nǐ yào bú yào mǎi? Do you want to buy (it)? 你要不要買? A: Yào. Yes (want). 要。 Q: Jīntiān shì xīng qī yī ma? Is today Monday? 今天是星期一嗎? A: Shì. Yes (is). 是。 Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Su, Qiu Gui. "Mandarin Vocabulary." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/mandarin-vocabulary-s2-2279647. Su, Qiu Gui. (2023, April 5). Mandarin Vocabulary. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/mandarin-vocabulary-s2-2279647 Su, Qiu Gui. "Mandarin Vocabulary." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/mandarin-vocabulary-s2-2279647 (accessed April 23, 2024). copy citation