欠 means “lack, absent, chip”

けつ · ketsu

Also: gap, fail, yawning radical (no. 76)

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

かける, かく

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ケツ, ケン

JLPT N3 · Taught in grade 4 · 4 strokes

The story

A person with mouth wide open: 欠 began as a picture of a yawn. Now it marks a gap or something missing: 欠席 is an absence from class, 欠点 is a flaw, and a chipped cup is 欠けている.

Used in 欠席 (kesseki, absence), 欠点 (ketten, flaw), and 欠ける (kakeru, to be chipped/missing)

More from Hands at Work

• 束 bundle
• 閉 close
• 折 fold
• 掛 hang
• 取 take
• 組 group
• 置 put
• 構 structure
• 付 attach
• 消 put out
• 配 distribute
• 除 remove

Learn 欠 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.