亏 (kuī) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

亏

kuī[kui1]Tone 1

to lose (money) / luckily / deficit

HSK 5

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虧

Guru Deep Dive

English · to lose (money) / luckily / deficit

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:3

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left radical (亏 part without the final vertical) compact and leave adequate breathing room for the right vertical stroke.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 虧 was simplified to 亏 by reducing the complex elements on the right and simplifying the left radical components into standard streamlined strokes.

1. Meaning

to lose money or have a financial deficit; to fall short

luckily, fortunately, thanks to (often used with 多亏 duōkuī)to treat unfairly or let down

verb, adverbNeutral#finance#emotions#circumstance

Sample Usage

做生意亏了本。
Zuò shēngyì kuī le běn.
The business lost its capital.
多亏你帮了忙。
Duōkuī nǐ bāng le máng.
Thanks to your help.

2. Sound

/[kʰu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵]/Tone: 55

亏

kuīkui1

¯(55)

=kuī

Initial Consonant

Type: Aspirated Velar

Sounds like: k sound as in 'kite'

Aspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Strong gust of air from throat! Tissue held in front MUST fly forward.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Back of tongue raised against the soft palate, releasing a crisp burst of air.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: -way sound

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'way'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: ui is short for uei

Tone

T1 (55)

5 → 5 (55)

1st Tone (High-Flat)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is a high, level pitch (55) similar to a sustained musical note at the top of your speaking voice.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse with 'kuài' (快). Make sure to hold the high level tone (Tone 1) rather than dropping into a falling tone (Tone 4).

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Keep your voice steady and high at the top of your vocal range, like a flat high musical note.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 3 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left radical (亏 part without the final vertical) compact and leave adequate breathing room for the right vertical stroke.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 虧 was simplified to 亏 by reducing the complex elements on the right and simplifying the left radical components into standard streamlined strokes.

4. Components

Radical 二 · two radical (two or horizontal line)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 亏 (indicates the core concept of loss or diminishing)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 亏 (original sound: kuī)

A roof or covering (the top horizontal line) with breath or vapor escaping underneath, symbolizing resources leaking out or running away.

一 top horizontal stroke representing a cover or ceiling
丂 phonetic and semantic base implying air escaping or loss

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

5· Phonetic Root: 亏 (kuī)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally depicted breath or vapor escaping from an opening, which extended to mean lacking, deficient, or slipping away into a loss.

Semantic Evolution: From the ancient idea of vapor fading or emptying out, it modernly represents financial loss ('losing money'), being at a disadvantage, or expressing gratitude ('luckily / thanks to').

In ancient texts, it was often interchangeable with 卌 or other deficiency indicators.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine a business owner staring at a **亏** (kuī) financial ledger where his money has **escaped** through the roof like vapor, leaving him at a complete **loss**.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

污

wūfilthy, dirtyWater radical (氵) added to show dirty water.

夸

kuāto boastBig radical (大) added to show someone making themselves look big through boasting.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

快(kuài)

快 has the heart radical (忄) on the left meaning fast or happy, whereas 亏 has no heart radical and means loss or deficit.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

做生意要小心，不要[___]本。

Clue: kuī

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the tone with Tone 4 (kuài) or mistaking the character shape for 快 (fast).

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see the character 亏, what is its primary financial meaning and tone?

Production: How do you write the character meaning 'to lose money or have a deficit' with pinyin kuī?

亏kuīto lose (money) / luckily / deficit

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