---
title: "Duanque Meaning: 短缺 (duǎnquē) Means “shortage”"
description: "短缺 (duǎnquē) means “shortage; deficiency; to be short of”. Hear its tones, see what 短 and 缺 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/duanque"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 短缺 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

短缺 duǎnquē

## shortage; deficiency; to be short of

## Its characters

1. 短 duǎn short
2. 缺 quē to lack

## In a sentence

能源短缺是个大问题。 Energy shortage is a big problem.

[More about 短缺](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E7%9F%AD%E7%BC%BA)

## More words with 短 or 缺

- [不可或缺 bùkě-huòquē](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/bukehuoque)
- [短裤 duǎnkù](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/duanku)
- [短期 duǎnqī](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/duanqi)
- [短信 duǎnxìn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/duanxin)
- [短暂 duǎnzàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/duanzan)
- [紧缺 jǐnquē](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/jinque)
- [欠缺 qiànquē](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/qianque)
- [缺点 quēdiǎn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/quedian)
- [缺乏 quēfá](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/quefa)
- [缺口 quēkǒu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/quekou)

## Keep 短缺 for Review

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[Type pinyin with tone marks](https://mandarinthewild.com/pinyin-tone-marks)

[How it compares with Migaku](https://mandarinthewild.com/compare/migaku)