The kanji 否 generally means "no," "not," "deny," or "refuse." It indicates a negative response, disagreement, or rejection of something. It often conveys the opposite of affirmation or approval.

・On-yomi (音読み): ヒ (hi) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): いな (ina)

⚫︎ 否認 Translation: Denial; Refusal ⚫︎ 可否 Translation: Right or Wrong; Yes or No ⚫︎ 否定 Translation: Negation; Denial

The kanji 否 is a phono-semantic compound. The phonetic component is 不 (fu/bu), meaning "not" or "without". It provides the sound. The semantic component, 口 (kuchi), meaning "mouth," suggests the act of speaking or expressing. Together, 否 represents the idea of "a mouth that refuses" or "a denial," conveying the meaning of "no" or "to deny." It evolved over time with the addition of the mouth radical to indicate the verbal or spoken nature of denial.