Chinese word

小

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiǎo

Meaning

  • adjectivesmall

Example

这个房子很小。zhè ge fáng zi hén xiǎo

This house is very small.

Illustration for 小 (small)

More examples

我有一只小狗。wǒ yǒu yì zhī xiáo gǒu

I have a puppy.

Core concept

A smaller point on a scale, whether the scale measures space, amount, degree, age, or rank.

Common phrases

  • 小朋友xiǎo péng yǒu

    child

  • 小狗xiáo gǒu

    puppy

  • 小房子xiǎo fáng zi

    small house

Similar words

大dà: Being great in size, amount, or degree and standing out clearly.
少shǎo: Being low in number or amount, often with too little available.
短duǎn: Having little length or lasting for only a short time.
高gāo: Being high in height or degree and located toward the top.

Definition in Chinese

表示物体在体积、面积、数量或程度上处于较小的状态，与“大”相对，也常用来表示年纪或等级较低。biǎo shì wù tǐ zài tǐ jī miàn jī shù liàng huò chéng dù shàng chǔ yú jiào xiǎo de zhuàng tài yǔ dà xiāng duì yě cháng yòng lái biǎo shì nián jì huò děng jí jiào dī

Word origin

The character 小 (xiǎo, "small") is traditionally understood as a drawing of tiny particles, and its meaning extended from physical size to lesser amount, degree, age, and rank.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may expect this adjective to describe size only, but Chinese also uses it naturally for age and status in families, schools, and groups.

Other meanings

  • youngeradjective
  • youngadjective

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word