无 wú — -less; not to have; no; none; not; to lack
他无话可说。Tā wú huà kě shuō.He had nothing to say.
Common words: 无法 (wú fǎ)、无论 (wú lùn)、无聊 (wú liáo)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to lack"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to lack", including 无 (wú), 欠 (qiàn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to lack" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 无 (wú), 欠 (qiàn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span wú, qiàn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 无 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 无 wú-less; not to have; no; none; not; to lackUseful words: 无法, 无论
- 欠 qiàndeficient; owe; to lack; yawnUseful words: 拖欠, 欠缺
Common words for these 2 "to lack" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 无 (wú) — so "to lack" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "to lack".
欠 qiàn — deficient; owe; to lack; yawn
借了别人的钱，要记得早点儿还，别老欠着。Jiè le bié ren de qián, yào jì de zǎo diǎnr huán, bié lǎo qiàn zhe.When you borrow money, remember to pay it back early; do not keep owing it.
Common words: 拖欠 (tuō qiàn)、欠缺 (qiàn quē)、欠条 (qiàn tiáo)
All 2 characters
Open 无、欠 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.