lack

Origin & mnemonic

This radical originates from a pictograph in oracle-bone script depicting a gaping mouth or open mouth—expressing deficiency or a need for more. Over time it evolved into its modern form with horizontal strokes, retaining the sense of lack or incompleteness.

Mnemonic: A gaping mouth (three horizontal lines stacked in a frame) signals lack or the need to fill something missing.

• 欠qiàn🔊

  to owe

  HSK 5

  4 strokes

• 次cì🔊

  next in sequence

  HSK 1

  6 strokes

• 欢huān🔊

  joyous

  6 strokes

• 欤yú🔊

  (literary) (final particle similar to 嗎|吗[ma5], 呢[ne5] or 啊[a1])

  7 strokes

• 欧ōu🔊

  (used for transliteration)

  8 strokes

• 欣xīn🔊

  happy

  8 strokes

• 欨xū🔊

  (literary) to blow or breathe upon

  9 strokes

• 欬kài🔊

  to cough

  10 strokes

• 欱hē🔊

  variant of 喝[he1]

  10 strokes

• 欸ǎi🔊

  (Tw) (literary) to rebuke loudly

  11 strokes

• 欲yù🔊

  to wish for

  11 strokes

• 欵kuǎn🔊

  to treat well

  11 strokes

• 欶shuò🔊

  to suck

  11 strokes

• 欷xī🔊

  to sob

  11 strokes

• 款kuǎn🔊

  section

  12 strokes

• 欺qī🔊

  to take unfair advantage of

  12 strokes

• 钦qīn🔊

  to respect

  12 strokes

• 欹yī🔊

  interjection

  12 strokes

• 欻xū🔊

  suddenly

  12 strokes

• 欼chǐ🔊

  drink

  12 strokes

• 欿kǎn🔊

  discontented with oneself

  12 strokes

• 歇xiē🔊

  to rest

  HSK 5

  13 strokes

• 歆xīn🔊

  pleased

  13 strokes

• 歁kǎn🔊

  unsatisfied (of eating)

  13 strokes

• 歃shà🔊

  to drink

  13 strokes

• 歈yú🔊

  songs

  13 strokes

• 歌gē🔊

  song (CL:首[shou3],支[zhi1])

  HSK 1

  14 strokes

• 歉qiàn🔊

  to apologize

  14 strokes

• 歊xiāo🔊

  vapor

  14 strokes

• 歓huān🔊

  old variant of 歡|欢[huan1]

  15 strokes

• 歔xū🔊

  to snort

  15 strokes

• 歘xū🔊

  variant of 欻[xu1]

  16 strokes

• 歙shè🔊

  used in 歙縣|歙县[She4 Xian4] (the name of a place in Anhui)

  16 strokes

• 歜chù🔊

  (person)

  17 strokes

• 歠chuò🔊

  (literary) to drink

  19 strokes