Meaning of 欠
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to owe
- to lack
- (literary) to be deficient in
- (bound form) yawn
- to raise slightly (a part of one's body)
How to use 欠
欠 is most often used for owing money, favors, or apologies, and it takes a direct object: 欠 + person + thing. Example: 我欠他一百块钱。(Wǒ qiàn tā yìbǎi kuài qián.) I owe him 100 yuan.
Picture 欠 (qiàn) as a person with a wide open mouth, yawning. Someone who yawns is lacking sleep, and from "lacking" it is a short step to owing.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 欠 with 次 (cì), which looks similar but has two extra dots on the left and means "time" or "order." Also keep the fourth tone in qiàn, and do not mix it up with 钱 (qián, money), even though the two often appear together.
欠 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
欠 qiàn · to owe · 4 strokes
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- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 欠.
Questions about 欠
What does 欠 mean?
欠 (qiàn) means "to owe; to lack" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 欠?
欠 is made of 1 character: 欠 (4 strokes). That is 4 strokes in total.
Is 欠 an HSK word?
Yes. 欠 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 欠揍 mean and is it rude?
欠揍 (qiànzòu) literally means "owes a beating," like saying someone is asking for it. It is casual and often playful between friends, but it can sound rude to strangers.
How do you say "I owe you one" in Chinese?
You can say 我欠你一个人情 (wǒ qiàn nǐ yí gè rénqíng), meaning "I owe you a favor." It is a common, natural way to thank someone for help.