# 欠 — lack; be missing

欠 means “lack; be missing”. It is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 4 strokes. On'yomi: ケツ (ketsu). Kun'yomi: か(ける) (kakeru). You'll see it in words such as 欠かす (kakasu, “to miss; to fail”).

- Meaning: lack; be missing
- On'yomi: ケツ (ketsu)
- Kun'yomi: か(ける) (kakeru)
- Strokes: 4
- Level: JLPT N2 · set Qualities 3

## Words with 欠

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 欠かす | かかす (kakasu) | to miss; to fail |
| 欠く | かく (kaku) | to lack; to chip |
| 欠ける | かける (kakeru) | to be lacking; to be chipped |

## Don't confuse it with

[飲](https://moji.ninja/n5-kanji/drink/) · [食](https://moji.ninja/n5-kanji/eat/)

## More in the “Qualities 3” set

[雑](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/miscellaneous/) · [欠](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/lack/) · [汚](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/dirty/) · [栄](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/flourish/) · [似](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/resemble/) · [簡](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/brief/) · [薄](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/pale/)

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From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/lack/. Last updated 2026-11-01.