How to use “没关系” in Chinese

The Chinese phrase 没关系  (méi guānxi) literally means "it has no relation". It's very commonly used to express "it doesn't matter" or "it's not important", and you're likely to hear it every day in China.

中文短语"没关系(méi guānxi)"的字面意思是"it has no relation"。这个短语经常用于表达"it doesn't matter"或"it's not important"，而且在中国每天都可能听到。

The other, slightly less common use of 没关系 is to express that something is not related to something else. These slightly different meanings have different usage patterns.

另一方面，稍不常见的"没关系"用于表达某事与另一件事毫无关联。意思稍有不同，用法也不一样。

Note that the 系 (xi) in 没关系 is neutral tone, despite it being fourth tone in other words like 系统(xì tǒng).

注意"系"在"没关系"里是轻声，尽管在像"系统(xì tǒng)"这样的其他词汇里它的发音是第四声。

没关系: it doesn't matter

This is the most common use of 没关系, and it's very similar to "it doesn't matter" or "never mind" in English. The phrase can be used directly on its own, for example:

这是"没关系"最常见的用法，这和英文里的"it doesn't matter"或"never mind"相似。这个短语可以直接单独使用，例如：

A: 我来晚了，真对不起。

Wǒ lái wǎnle, zhēn duìbùqǐ.

I'm so sorry I'm late.

B: 没关系。

Méi guānxi.

It doesn't matter.

The phrase might also be used in situations like these:

这个短语也可以在如下情况下使用：

没关系。大家都是这样。

Méiguānxì. Dàjiā dōu shì zhèyàng.

It doesn't matter. Everyone does it.

我用铅笔写没关系吧？

Wǒ yòng qiānbǐ xiě méiguānxì ba?

It doesn't matter if I use a pencil, right?

没关系 can also form part of a longer sentence, and is usually placed at the end, following the options that don't matter. Some examples:

"没关系"也可以组成比较长的句子，而通常放于句尾，前面则跟着无足重轻的选项。例如：

多少钱都没关系。

Duōshǎo qián dōu méi guānxi.

It doesn't matter how much it costs.

多长时间都没关系。

Duō cháng shíjiān dōu méi guānxi.

It doesn't matter how long it takes.

他们知不知道都没关系。

Tāmen zhī bù zhīdào dōu méi guānxi.

It doesn't matter if they know or not.

别人怎么看都没关系。

Biérén zěnme kàn dōu méi guānxi.

It doesn't matter what other people think.

The main point to note is that 没关系 nearly always comes at the end of such a sentence. First you establish what the issue or options are, and then comment on them with 没关系.

需要特别注意的一点是"没关系"几乎总是出现在这样的句子的末尾。先确定问题或选项，然后跟上"没关系"进行评论。

没关系: not related

没关系 can also form part of a structure expressing that there is no relation or link between two things. This is a more literal use of 没关系. The structure is:

"没关系"也可以组成句型以表达两者之间没有任何关联的意思。这是"没关系"比较字面的用法。句式结构是：

[something] 跟 [something else] 没有关系

You can replace 跟(gēn) with similar conjunctions like 和(hé) and 与(yǔ). Also, the 有 in this structure is optional: you can say 没有 or just 没.

你可以将"跟(gēn)"替换为相似的连词如"和(hé)"、"与(yǔ)"。同时，"有"字在这个句式结构里可有可无，你可以用"没有"或者就用"没"。

Have a look at some example sentences for this usage of 没关系:

看看下面使用"没关系"这个用法的一些例句：

我跟他完全没有关系。

Wǒ gēn tā wánquán méiyǒu guānxì.

I'm totally unrelated to him.

这事跟我一点也没关系。

Zhè shì gēn wǒ yīdiǎn yě méiguānxì.

This issue has nothing to do with me.

我的私事和你没有关系！

Wǒ de sīshì hé nǐ méiyǒu guānxì!

My personal matters are none of your business!

The two uses of 没关系 are similar but not entirely the same. The first one, "it doesn't matter", is quite idiomatic, whilst the second is directly "it is not related".

"没关系"的这两个用法很相似，但又不完全一样。第一个是惯用词组，意思是"it doesn't matter"，而第二个用法是直接字面上地使用，意思是"it is not related"。