不舒服 (bù shū fu)

adjective HSK 3

bù shū fu

uncomfortable · unwell · not feeling well · ill

Meaning

不舒服 literally means 'not comfortable' and describes physical or emotional discomfort. It's commonly used to indicate illness, feeling sick, or general unease. This is one of the most natural ways to express feeling unwell in everyday Chinese conversation.

Usage

Native speakers use 不舒服 frequently to describe any kind of physical ailment, from mild discomfort to more serious illness. It's appropriate in both casual and formal contexts. Often used with 感到 (gǎn dào) 'to feel' or 觉得 (jué de) 'to feel/think'. Can also describe emotional discomfort or awkwardness in a situation.

Examples

01
我今天有点不舒服，想请假休息。
Wǒ jīn tiān yǒu diǎn bù shū fu, xiǎng qǐng jià xiū xi.
I'm feeling a bit unwell today and would like to take leave to rest.
02
你脸色不好，是不是哪里不舒服？
Nǐ liǎn sè bù hǎo, shì bu shì nǎ lǐ bù shū fu?
You don't look well. Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?

Characters

Common collocations

觉得不舒服
jué de bù shū fu
to feel uncomfortable/unwell
身体不舒服
shēn tǐ bù shū fu
body feels unwell
有点不舒服
yǒu diǎn bù shū fu
feel a bit unwell
很不舒服
hěn bù shū fu
very uncomfortable/unwell

Antonyms

Origin

舒服 means 'comfortable' or 'feeling well', combining 舒 (relaxed, stretched out) and 服 (here meaning comfortable, fitting well). Adding negation 不 creates the opposite meaning.