English–Japanese

“few” in Japanese

Japanese

Pronunciation

Romajisukunai

Example

この町は店が少ないです。ko no machi wa mise ga suku na i de su

There are few shops in this town.

Illustration for 少ない (few)

How to say “few” in Japanese

“Few” in Japanese is 少ない (sukunai).

Describes a quantity as below what is usual or expected, whether it refers to countable things or an amount.

Full entry for 少ない: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with 少ない

りんごが少ないです。ri n go ga suku na i de su

There are few apples.

去年より参加者が少ないです。kyo nen yo ri san ka sha ga suku na i de su

There are fewer participants than last year.

Tips for using 少ない

  • English uses few with countable nouns and little with uncountable nouns, but 少ない (sukunai) can cover both patterns in Japanese.

“few” in other languages