不
ふ · fu · JLPT N3 · prefix
un
ふ sounds like phooey, a scoffing no: 不安 fuan = not + calm = uneasy
不 goes in front of a word to flip it to its opposite, like un- or non- in English. 不便 fuben = not + convenient = inconvenient; 不足 fusoku = not + enough = shortage. Some words read it as ぶ (bu), as in 不気味 bukimi, eerie.
不 — single pictograph; bird flying upward
Originally a pictograph in oracle bone script, traditionally interpreted as a bird flying up toward the sky and unable to come down, suggesting negation or refusal. Over time it became the standard negation word in Chinese, used before verbs and adjectives to mean 'not'.
ぶ · bu · JLPT N3 · prefix
un
不 bu sounds like boo, the sound a crowd makes to say no
Put 不 in front of a word to negate it, like un- or non- in English. It is read bu in words like 不用心 (buyōjin, careless) and fu in words like 不便 (fuben, inconvenient). Chinese uses the same character, read bù, for not.
不 — single pictograph; bird flying upward
Originally a pictograph in oracle bone script, traditionally interpreted as a bird flying up toward the sky and unable to come down, suggesting negation or refusal. Over time it became the standard negation word in Chinese, used before verbs and adjectives to mean 'not'.