How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
quēFirst toneshǎoThird tone
Hear it in conversation
qiàn欠de的yì意si思jiù就shì是qiàn欠quē缺quē缺shǎo少de的yì意si思
The meaning of "欠" is lacking or missing
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
。
I'm short of cash at the moment.
。
The company lacks leadership.
。
This report is missing an essential point.
Hear the difference
A syllable has a shape.
Tone marks show how pitch changes. Colors help you follow each syllable in the app.
ā →First toneHigh and level
á ↗Second toneRising
ǎ ↘↗Third toneLow, then rising in isolation
à ↘Fourth toneFalling
a ·Neutral toneShort and light
These are dictionary tones. In natural speech, tones can change with context. A third tone often stays low before another syllable.