Daily Mandarin Lesson: "Don't Have" in Chinese

没有 (méi yǒu) in Mandarin means haven't, hasn't, doesn't exist, to not have, and to not be.

Pronunciation

没有 is pronounced ►méi yǒu. 没 is in the 2nd tone, whereas 有 is spoken in the 3rd tone. This can also be written as: mei2 you3.

Chinese Characters

Traditional Form: 沒有
Simplified Form: 没有
The first character 沒 / 没 (méi) is a negative prefix for verbs. The second character 有 (yǒu) is the verb for to have; there is; there are; to exist; to be. Put together, 没有 means "to not have," "to not be," or "to not exist."

Sentence Examples 

Audio files are marked with ►

►Tā méi yǒu shuō huǎng.
他沒有說謊｡
他没有说谎｡
He didn’t tell a lie.

►Míng tiān wǒ méi yǒu kōng.
明天我沒有空｡
明天我没有空｡
I don't have any free time tomorrow.

Méi yǒu yìyì
没有意义
It's pointless / There is no meaning.

Wǒ gēn tā méi yǒu liánxì
我跟他没有联系
I have no relation with him. 

Zhè méi yǒu yòng
这没有用
This is useless/(more literally) This has no use.