欠
The 欠 radical
To lack, to yawn
Memory hook
A person yawning with mouth open, short of breath. Tied to the open mouth, it shows up in characters about making sound or feeling: 歌 (to sing), 欢 (joyful).
The 欠 radical (read qiàn) means to lack, to yawn. The HSK 3.0 data contains 11 characters and 86 words built on it — learning them together is far faster than one character at a time.
Practise the 欠 radical
Study this radical's 86 words with flashcards or a quiz.
The free plan drills 15 words per radical. Upgrade to Premium
Characters with the 欠 radical
11 charactersHSK 1· 3 characters
HSK 1次
time (occurrence)
欢
happy, joyful
歌
song
HSK 5· 4 characters
HSK 5欠
to owe
欣
happy, joyful
款
money, funds, sum
歇
to rest
HSK 6· 3 characters
HSK 6欲
to want; to desire
欺
to swindle; to cheat
歉
to lack; to be short of
HSK 7-9· 1 characters
HSK 7-9欧
Europe
Vocabulary with the 欠 radical
86 wordsWords containing at least one character with the 欠 radical, ordered by HSK level.
The free plan shows 9 words per HSK level (40/86 words of this radical).
last time
next time
to sing
to like
time (occurrence)
song
to welcome
secondly; next
joyful; merry; happy
singing voice; sound of singing
singer
music fan
many times
once more; again
savings
layer, level
to owe
to admire
to rest
song
to transfer money
to fine; a fine
one-time; disposable
in turn; in order; one by one
to withdraw money
ATM (automated teller machine)
national anthem
to apologize, to feel sorry
to donate money, donation
number of times, frequency
to bully, to pick on
repeatedly; again and again
theme song
person-times (number of people counted by visits)
second only to, just below
to make payment, to pay money
public funds
Song of triumph
for the first time, the first time
praiseworthy and moving
Why learn vocabulary by the 欠 radical?
The 欠 radical hints at the meaning to lack, to yawn. When you meet an unfamiliar character carrying it, you already know part of its meaning before reaching for a dictionary — which is why learners who know their radicals move faster.
How to study: read the memory hook, skim the 11 characters to spot the pattern, then drill the 86 words with flashcards. Spaced repetition brings each word back exactly when you need it.