掉

• Pinyin: diào
• Hanzi breakdown: 掉 = 扌 (hand radical) + 卓 (outstanding; phonetic)

Meaning

To drop; to fall. Also used as a verb complement indicating removal or completion of an action.

As a standalone verb, means to drop or fall. As a complement after another verb, it indicates that something has been removed or gotten rid of, e.g. 扔掉 (throw away), 忘掉 (forget completely), 卖掉 (sell off).

Examples

1. 我的手机掉在地上了。 My phone fell on the ground.
2. 树上的叶子都掉了。 All the leaves have fallen from the tree.
3. 我的钱包掉了，你看到了吗？ I dropped my wallet — have you seen it?

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, descriptions, verb complements

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 小心别把杯子掉了。(Be careful not to drop the cup.)
• 把那些旧衣服扔掉吧。(Throw away those old clothes.)

Don't Say

• 不要把'掉'和'丢'完全等同 — 掉 emphasises the physical act of dropping or falling, while 丢 means to lose or misplace. 手机掉了 = phone fell; 手机丢了 = phone is lost.

Origin & History

Originally meant 'to shake' or 'to sway' in Classical Chinese. The meaning evolved to 'to fall' and then extended to a resultative complement indicating removal.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal