欠

qiàn

verb HSK 5 #1,123

Meanings

1 to owe (money, a favor, etc.)
2 to lack; to be short of
3 to yawn

Characters

to owe; to lack; to yawn

Examples

他欠我一百块钱。

Tā qiàn wǒ yī bǎi kuài qián.

He owes me 100 yuan.

我欠你一个人情。

Wǒ qiàn nǐ yī gè rénqíng.

I owe you a favor.

这篇文章还欠点火候。

Zhè piān wénzhāng hái qiàn diǎn huǒhòu.

This article still lacks a bit of refinement.

他打了个哈欠。

Tā dǎ le gè hāqian.

He yawned.

Tips

usage

欠 can be financial (欠钱, owe money) or social (欠人情, owe a favor). 人情债 (rénqíng zhài, social debt) is an important concept in Chinese culture.

usage

哈欠 (hāqian) = yawn. 打哈欠 = to yawn.

Stroke Order

欠 qiàn