礼貌 · Please and thanks
3 of 7
不客气
búkèqi
You’re welcome
Sounds roughly like boo kuh-chee
As spoken
不 (bù) becomes bú before a 4th tone. So 不客气 is bú kèqi, not bù kèqi. You will hear this sandhi constantly.
Literal meaning
不
bú
not
客气
kèqi
polite; formal
not · polite / guest-air
How to pronounce it
- 不
bú
bu2
22nd · risingb is unaspirated (no puff). 不 is usually 4th tone, but before another 4th it rises: bú.
- 客
kè
ke4
44th · fallingk has a puff of air + “uh”. Fall.
- 气
qi
qi5
·neutralq is a thin “ch” (smile, tongue flat). Neutral here — don’t punch it.
In real life
不客气，这是我应该做的。
Bú kèqi, zhè shì wǒ yīnggāi zuò de.
You’re welcome — it’s what I should do.