欠

Yawn Radical (欠)

qiàn · 4 strokes

The yawn radical (欠) is a radical found in Chinese. It appears in 11 characters related to yawn and associated concepts. 11 characters: 2 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 4, 4 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system. Character data is based on the HSK 3.0 Standard (CLEC 2022 syllabus).

Radical vs. Component: 欠 is also a character component. As a radical, it classifies characters in dictionaries. As a component, it appears as a building block contributing meaning, sound, or structure. For component-specific details including role analysis and position patterns, see the Yawn Component (欠) page.

Yawn Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count4
Total Characters11
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 5 (4 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes10
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Yawn Radical Characters

HSK 1 (2 characters)

欢huānhubbub歌gēsong

HSK 2 (1 characters)

次cìnext in sequence

HSK 4 (1 characters)

歉qiànto apologize

HSK 5 (4 characters)

欣xīnhappy款kuǎnsection欠qiànto owe欧ōuEurope (abbr. for 歐洲|欧洲)

HSK 6 (3 characters)

欲yùdesire歇xiēto rest欺qīto take unfair advantage of

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the yawn radical mean in Chinese characters?
The yawn radical (欠) signals a semantic connection to yawn-related concepts. When you see 欠 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves yawn or associated ideas. With 11 characters using this radical, it is one of the more productive radicals in Chinese. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system, the traditional standard for organizing Chinese characters.
How many characters use the yawn radical?
There are 11 characters with the yawn radical (欠) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 2 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 4, 4 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental yawn-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common yawn radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the yawn radical (欠) are: 次 (cì, "next in sequence"), 欢 (huān, "hubbub"), 款 (kuǎn, "section"), 欧 (ōu, "Europe (abbr. for 歐洲|欧洲)"), 歌 (gē, "song"). These high-frequency characters are among the first yawn-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include yawn radical characters?
Characters with the yawn radical (欠) appear across 5 HSK levels: 2 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 4, 4 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6. The largest concentration is at HSK 5 with 4 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common yawn-related characters, while advanced levels add specialized or literary terms.

Sources & Standards

Radical classifications on this page follow the Kangxi radical system (康熙部首), the standard set of 214 radicals codified in the Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典, 1716). Character data is based on the HSK 3.0 Standard (《国际中文教育中文水平等级标准》), published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, 2022 revision.