否

Ideogram:

口 (입 구) – represents “speech”

不 (아닐 불) – represents “not”

Together they literally mean “speech of not” or “words of denial.”

The hanja 否 carries two main readings and meanings:

부 (아닐 부) - “not,” “to deny,” “negative” (부정하다);

비 (막힐 비) - “to block, obstruct, reject” (막히다).

It is used in words like:

否定 (부정) – negation, denial;

否決 (부결) – rejection, disapproval.

不 vs. 否:

不 is the basic negation used in ordinary sentences (like “not” in English);

否 describes the act of negating or rejecting from a third-party or objective stance.

For example:

不承認 – “not to approve” (basic negation);

否決 – “to vote down / to reject” (formal rejection).

In the Korean National Assembly, during a roll-call or anonymous vote:

가 (可) = approval

부 (否) = disapproval

기권 = abstention

Many lawmakers mistakenly write 不 for “부” instead of 否, resulting in invalid votes.