缺乏 (quē fá) — to lack; to be short of in Mandarin
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#1073 most common word · HSK 5 · CEFR C1
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
缺乏 is pronounced quē fá. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Zhège dìqū quēfá qīngjié de shuǐ.
This area lacks clean water.
Hear it, then say it right
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 缺乏 mean?+
缺乏 (quē fá) means "to lack; to be short of" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 缺乏?+
缺乏 is pronounced quē fá. It uses the tone 1 (high flat), then the tone 2 (rising). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 缺乏 in Mandarin?+
缺乏 is the #1073 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Where 缺乏 fits
Every HSK 5 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.
Words at a similar frequency
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What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
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