How to lose in Chinese: 丢 (diū) vs. 掉 (diào)

You might already know that people from the South and the North of China have very different traditions, food preferences, and dialects. This means that crucial words – such as lose in Chinese – have multiple synonyms. After all, the ‘standard’ Chinese accent we learn isn’t automatically spoken all around the country so learning only one way to say a word might lead to easily avoidable communication errors. 

Even when people speak the common language, putonghua, the words they use can have totally different meanings! This often leaves learners confused when it comes to important vocabulary in Chinese.

In today’s video, let’s take a look at the two words 丢 (diū) and 掉 (diào), which can both mean “to lose” and “to drop“.

1. 掉 · diào (drop or lose in Chinese?)

But in the South, 掉 (diào) means “to lose”:

• 我钥匙掉了！
• Wǒ yàoshi diào le!
• I’ve lost my keys!

Which means:

• 我钥匙不见了！
• Wǒ yàoshi bùjiàn le!
• My keys are missing!

2. 丢 · diū (drop or lose in Chinese?)

You must be wondering, doesn’t 丢 (diū) mean “to lose”?

But in the South, it’s the other way around, and 丢 (diū) means “to throw away“:

• 这些苹果都坏了，丢了吧
• Zhè xiē píngguǒ dōu huài le, diū le ba
• These apples have gone bad, throw them away

Which means:

• 这些苹果已经不能吃了，扔了吧!
• Zhè xiē píngguǒ yǐ jīng bù néng chī le, rēng le ba!)
• These apples are no longer edible, throw them away!