掉

diào
HSK 4
#847 most
frequent character
to fall, to drop, to lag behind
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

掉 joins 扌 hand with 卓 zhuō, which supplies the sound. It first meant to rock or sway. The meaning grew to drop or fall off, to lose, and to a verb suffix that shows separation, as in 走掉 'walk away' or 拔掉 'pull out'.

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Example Sentences

我不小心把手机掉了。
wǒ bùxiǎoxīn bǎ shǒujī diàole 。
I accidentally dropped my phone.
他的成绩掉了，必须更加努力。
tāde chéngjì diàole ， bìxū gèngjiā nǔlì 。
His grades have dropped; he must work harder.
她掉了很多头发。
tā diàole hěnduō tóufà 。
She has lost a lot of hair.

Words with similar meanings

掉落diàoluò
to fall down
A more formal term for 'to fall' that emphasizes the action of falling.
失去shīqù
to lose
Focuses on the aspect of losing something rather than simply falling.

Homophones

HSK 5
钓diào
to fish with a hook and bait
调diào
to transfer, to move (troops or cadres)

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Public Lists with 掉

Daily Routines
Verbs and nouns related to waking up, chores, personal care, and daily life.
Body Parts
Head, arms, legs, internal organs, and basic anatomy.
HSK 4
All words for the HSK 4 test
Basic Verbs
Core action verbs like 'go,' 'come,' 'eat,' 'see,' commonly encountered in HSK.