How to Apologize in Chinese 🇨🇳

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]I'm sorry.

[00:00:01]對不起。

[00:00:05]You've noticed that we have many b u combination here. That syllable bù here is bú. And here we have bú.

[00:00:16]So, one syllable, how come it has two different pronunciations?

[00:00:21]Well, that's because tone sandhi.

[00:00:23]The original sound of b u syllable is the fourth tone, bù.

[00:00:31]It will change into the second tone when it follows with the fourth tone.

[00:00:37]So, when it used with a fourth tone syllable together, we change bù into bú.

[00:00:45]For example, bù xiè. Bù yào.

[00:00:50]And when it goes with the first tone, the second tone, and the third tone, it remains the fourth tone.

[00:00:56]For example, duìbùqǐ.

[00:00:59]This is the third tone.

[00:01:01]Bù kāixīn. Kāi is the first tone, so we just use it like bù.