掉
to fall; to drop; to lose
diào
What does 掉 mean?
掉 (diào) is a verb meaning 'to fall,' 'to drop,' or 'to lose,' and is one of Mandarin's most productive resultative complements. On its own it means to fall down (东西掉了 'the thing fell'), to drop something, to lose/misplace (钱包掉了 'the wallet is lost'), or for levels to fall (掉价 drop in price, 掉头发 lose hair). Its most important role for learners is as a complement attached to another verb to signal removal, disappearance, or completion: 扔掉 (throw away), 忘掉 (forget), 删掉 (delete), 卖掉 (sell off), 关掉 (turn off).
In this use 掉 means the object is gone or finished off, similar to English 'away' or 'off' in 'throw away' or 'turn off.' It is neutral in register and appears constantly in everyday speech.
Character breakdown
to fall; to drop; to lose; (complement) off/away
Memory hook: 扌 (hand) + 卓 — something slips from the hand and drops down.
Example sentences
我的手机掉在地上了。
Wǒ de shǒujī diào zài dìshàng le.
My phone fell on the ground.
spoken
这些旧衣服可以扔掉了。
Zhèxiē jiù yīfu kěyǐ rēngdiào le.
These old clothes can be thrown away.
spoken
出门前记得把灯关掉。
Chūmén qián jìde bǎ dēng guāndiào.
Remember to turn off the lights before you leave.
neutral
秋天到了，树叶开始掉。
Qiūtiān dào le, shùyè kāishǐ diào.
Autumn has come and the leaves are starting to fall.
neutral
Common phrases with 掉
Synonyms
落 (luò) means 'to fall / descend' and is more written/literary (落叶 falling leaves). 掉 is the everyday spoken verb for something dropping or being lost, and works as a completion complement, which 落 does not.
Don't confuse 掉 with
调 read diào means 'to transfer / tune / accent' (调查 investigate, 语调 intonation); read tiáo it means 'to adjust / mix.' 掉 (diào) means to fall/drop. Same pinyin diào but different character and meaning.
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