欠

qiàn
HSK 5
#1,945 most
frequent character
deficient, owe, to lack, yawn
verb
adjective

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

欠 is a drawing of a person whose mouth is open, and that was its first meaning. The open mouth led to 'to yawn', then to 'to lack', 'to owe' and 'debt'.

Drawn as: person, mouth open

欠 as a component in other characters

meaning20 characters
欢款欧欲欣饮欺歇钦歉炊欤歆歙欹欷
sound6 characters
砍坎芡肷㳄欿
picture5 characters
次歌吹欻欮
empty1 character
软

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Example Sentences

我欠你一百块钱。
wǒ qiàn nǐ yībǎikuài qián 。
I owe you one hundred yuan.
这个地方欠缺资源。
zhègè dìfāng qiànquē zīyuán 。
This place lacks resources.
他欠我一个解释。
tā qiàn wǒ yígè jiěshì 。
He owes me an explanation.

Words with similar meanings

缺乏quēfá
lack
一般用于描述资源不足或缺失的状态，语气更正式。
背负bēifù
to bear (a debt)
通常用于强调对债务的责任感，语气较为沉重。

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Public Lists with 欠

Advanced HSK5 Terms
Vocabulary commonly seen in HSK5 practice, bridging mid-high level usage.
HSK 5
All words for the HSK 5 test
Finance & Money
Currency, banks, deposits, withdrawals, credit cards, loans.