歉 meaning and stroke order
Deficient, lacking; to apologize, to regret, to be sorry
How to write 歉, stroke by stroke
14 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 歉
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to apologize
- to regret
- deficient
How 歉 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Lack.
欠 gives the meaning and 兼 hints at the sound.
Radical: 欠 (to lack), shared by 28 characters on this site.
How to remember 歉
The right side 欠 (qiàn) means to lack or owe, and it gives 歉 its meaning and its sound family. When you feel you owe someone something, you say sorry, so 兼 on the left plus 欠 on the right becomes 歉.
歉 almost never stands alone. It appears in words like 抱歉 (bàoqiàn, to be sorry) and 道歉 (dàoqiàn, to apologize). Example: 我向你道歉。(Wǒ xiàng nǐ dàoqiàn.) I apologize to you.
Common mistake: Learners often write the left side as 廉 or 嫌 by mistake, or drop the 兼 part and write only 欠. Also note that 道歉 is a verb-object phrase, so say 向他道歉 (xiàng tā dàoqiàn), not 道歉他.
Common words with 歉
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
歉 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 歉
How many strokes are in 歉?
歉 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 歉 mean?
歉 (qiàn) means deficient, lacking; to apologize, to regret, to be sorry. A common word with it is 抱歉 (bàoqiàn), meaning "to be sorry; to feel apologetic".
How do you pronounce 歉?
歉 is pronounced qiàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 歉?
The radical of 歉 is 欠, which carries the idea of "to lack". Dictionaries list 歉 under this radical.
Is 歉 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 歉 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 抱歉 and 对不起?
Both mean sorry. 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) is the everyday default, while 抱歉 (bàoqiàn) sounds a bit more polite or formal and is common in service settings, for example 很抱歉，让您久等了 (Sorry to keep you waiting).
Where does the meaning deficient show up in modern Chinese?
It survives in words about poor harvests, such as 歉收 (qiànshōu, a poor harvest). The idea of lacking connects to the apology sense, since you feel you fell short.