欠 meaning and stroke order
To owe; to lack; (literary) to be deficient in
How to write 欠, stroke by stroke
4 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Meaning of 欠
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to owe
- to lack
- (literary) to be deficient in
- (bound form) yawn
- to raise slightly (a part of one's body)
How 欠 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A man 人 yawning ⺈.
How to remember 欠
The top part ⺈ is a breath coming out of the open mouth of a person 人 below, so 欠 (qiàn) pictures a man yawning. A yawn shows you are lacking something like sleep, which links to the meanings "to lack" and "to owe".
In modern Chinese 欠 (qiàn) mostly means to owe money, favors, or explanations, and it often appears in words like 欠债 (qiànzhài) and 欠款 (qiànkuǎn). It can take two objects: the person and the thing owed. Example: 我还欠他一百块。(Wǒ hái qiàn tā yìbǎi kuài.) I still owe him 100 yuan.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 欠 with 次 (cì, time, occurrence), which is 欠 with two dots on the left. Also keep the fourth tone in qiàn, and do not mix it up with 钱 (qián, money), even though the two often appear together.
Common words with 欠
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 欠缺 | qiànquē | to be deficient in; lapse | HSK 7-9 |
| 拖欠 | tuōqiàn | in arrears; behind in payments | HSK 7-9 |
| 欠条 | qiàntiáo | IOU; certificate of indebtedness | HSK 7-9 |
| 亏欠 | kuīqiàn | to have a deficit; to be in the red; to owe | |
| 欠债 | qiànzhài | to owe a debt; the sum owed | |
| 欠揍 | qiànzòu | to need a spanking | |
| 欠款 | qiànkuǎn | to owe a debt; balance due |
欠 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 欠
Learning 欠 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 欠
How many strokes are in 欠?
欠 is written with 4 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 欠 mean?
欠 (qiàn) means to owe; to lack; (literary) to be deficient in. A common word with it is 欠缺 (qiànquē), meaning "to be deficient in; lapse".
How do you pronounce 欠?
欠 is pronounced qiàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
Is 欠 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 欠 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
Why do so many characters about the mouth or breathing contain 欠?
As a component, 欠 keeps its old picture of an open mouth breathing out. You can see it in 吹 (chuī, to blow), 歌 (gē, song), and 喝 is different, but 欢 (huān) and 歇 (xiē, to rest) also carry this breath idea.
What does 欠揍 (qiànzòu) really mean, and is it rude?
Literally it means "owing a beating", used to say someone is so annoying they deserve a smack. It is casual and teasing among friends, but it can sound rude if said to strangers or elders.