Usage note
“掉”表示东西从高处落下来，或者东西不见了。
“diào” biǎoshì dōngxi cóng gāochù luò xiàlái, huòzhě dōngxi bùjiàn le.
It means something falls from a higher place, or something is lost or missing.
Context note
这个词常用于描述日常生活中的情景，比如掉落的东西、丢失的物品等。
zhè gè cí chánɡ yònɡ cú miáo shù rì kāi shēn qínɡ zhī dōu, bǐ 如 丢掉的书本、掉落的苹果等。
This word is commonly used to describe situations in daily life, such as dropped books and fallen apples.
5 examples
我把书包掉了。
wǒ bǎ shū bāo diào le。
I dropped my backpack.
苹果从树上掉下来了。
píng guǒ cóng shù shàng diào xià lái le。
The apple fell from the tree.
他把钥匙掉了。
tā bǎ yào shi diào le。
He lost his keys.
不小心，我把水杯掉在地上了。
bù xiǎo xīn， wǒ bǎ shuǐ bēi diào zài dì shàng le。
Carelessly, I dropped my water cup on the ground.
妈妈提醒我不要把东西掉了。
mā ma tí xǐng wǒ bú yào bǎ dōng xī diào le。
Mom reminded me not to drop things.
5 mini stories
小明不小心把书掉在地上了，他赶紧捡起来。
xiǎo míng bù xiǎo xīn bǎ shū diào zài dì shàng le， tā gǎn jǐn jiǎn qǐ lái。
Xiaoming accidentally dropped his book on the ground, he quickly picked it up.
妈妈提醒小红不要把钥匙掉了，因为很容易丢失。
mā ma tí xǐng xiǎo hóng bú yào bǎ yào shi diào le， yīn wèi hěn róng yì diū shī。
Mom reminded Xiaohong not to lose her keys, as they are easy to misplace.
爸爸把手机掉在了桌子上，他赶紧去拿起来。
bà ba bǎ shǒu jī diào zài le zhuō zi shàng， tā gǎn jǐn qù ná qǐ lái。
Dad dropped his phone on the table, he quickly went to pick it up.
姐姐不小心把水杯掉了，溅了一地的水。
jiě jie bù xiǎo xīn bǎ shuǐ bēi diào le， jiàn le yí dì de shuǐ。
The sister accidentally dropped her water cup, spilling water all over the floor.
弟弟把玩具掉在了草地上，他去捡起来玩。
dì di bǎ wán jù diào zài le cǎo dì shàng， tā qù jiǎn qǐ lái wán。
Brother dropped his toy on the grass, he went to pick it up to play with.
Mini dialogue
东西掉了
A
哎呀，我的橡皮掉了。
Āiyā, wǒ de xiàngpí diào le.
Oops, my eraser dropped.
B
别着急，我帮你捡起来。
Bié zhāojí, wǒ bāng nǐ jiǎn qǐlái.
Don't worry, I'll help you pick it up.
小心别掉
A
拿好杯子，别让它掉了。
Ná hǎo bēizi, bié ràng tā diào le.
Hold the cup carefully, don't let it drop.
B
好的，我会小心的。
Hǎo de, wǒ huì xiǎoxīn de.
Okay, I will be careful.
Related words and contrasts
similar
落
luò
to fall
Both mean something moves downward. 掉 is often accidental; 落 can be natural like leaves falling.
related
丢
diū
to lose
掉 can mean to drop something; 丢 means to lose something and not know where it is.
opposite
捡
jiǎn
to pick up
掉 means to drop; 捡 means to pick something up from the ground.