Skip to content
Kotomora

欠

lack, gap, fail, yawning radical (no. 76)

JLPTN3StatusJōyō · grade 4FrequencyTop 1,000Strokes4

Readings

On'yomi

  • ケツ
  • ケン

Kun'yomi

  • か.ける
  • か.く

Meaning

欠 centers on an absence or incomplete state: something is lacking, a gap exists, or an action falls short. The yawning radical sense is the same open-mouthed shape used as a component in other characters.

Most common words using 欠

20 of 156
  • 欠けるかける
    N3

    to chip; to be chipped; to break (off); to be damaged

  • 欠点けってん
    N3

    fault; defect; flaw; weak point; weakness; shortcoming; drawback

  • 欠陥けっかん
    N2

    defect; fault; flaw; deformity; deficiency; shortage; gap

  • 欠けつ

    lack; deficiency; vacancy

  • 不可欠ふかけつ
    N2

    indispensable; essential

  • 欠席けっせき
    N4

    absence; non-attendance

  • 欠くかく
    N1

    to chip; to nick; to break; to crack

  • 欠片かけら
    N1

    fragment; broken piece; chip; splinter; shard

  • 欠如けつじょ
    N1

    lack; absence; shortage; deficiency; privation

  • 欠損けっそん

    deficit; shortage; loss

  • 欠かすかかす
    N2

    to miss (doing); to fail (to do)

  • 欠落けつらく

    lack; absence; omission

  • 金欠きんけつ

    having no money; lack of money

  • 欠場けつじょう

    absence; not taking part

  • 欠勤けっきん

    absence (from work)

  • 補欠ほけつ
    N1

    filling a vacancy; supplementation

  • 欠乏けつぼう
    N1

    deficiency; insufficiency; shortage; lack; want; dearth; scarcity

  • 欠伸あくび
    N3

    yawn; yawning

  • 御欠おかき

    mochi cut thin, dried, and baked or fried

  • 欠員けついん

    vacant position; vacancy; opening; unfilled position

Explore all words using 欠 →

Study

Etymology

欠 is a pictograph of a person with an open mouth, originally depicting yawning or lack of breath. The modern form retains the basic shape of a figure with a gaping mouth.

Meaning mnemonic

The shape looks like a person with a wide-open mouth, as if yawning from exhaustion or missing something. That open gap represents lack, a gap, or failure.

Reading mnemonic

For ケツ, imagine a person yawning so wide their mouth looks like a gaping ketsu (an invented sound for a big yawn). The ketsu sound cues ケツ while the open mouth shows lack.