HSK · Level 48
120 words
Chinese word
少年
Pronunciation
Pinyinshào nián
Meaning
- nounboy
Example
公园里有几个少年在踢球。gōng yuán lǐ yǒu jǐ gè shào nián zài tī qiú
Several boys are playing soccer in the park.
More examples
那个少年正在学习汉语。nà ge shào nián zhèng zài xué xí hàn yǔ
That boy is learning Chinese.
Core concept
A younger person whose exact place on the path to adulthood depends on the situation.
Common phrases
一个少年yí gè shào nián
one boy
两个少年liǎng gè shào nián
two boys
Similar words
孩子hái zi: A young child, including a preschooler or a child in the early years of elementary school.
儿童ér tóng: A formal or public term for children, especially those who are still young.
青少年qīng shào nián: A young person in the stage between childhood and adulthood, such as a middle or high school student.
Definition in Chinese
通常指年龄较小的未成年人或青少年，具体年龄范围随语境而定。tōng cháng zhǐ nián líng jiào xiǎo de wèi chéng nián rén huò qīng shào nián jù tǐ nián líng fàn wéi suí yǔ jìng ér dìng
Word origin
少年 (shàonián, "young person") is formed from 少 (shǎo, "few") and 年 (nián, "years"), linking the idea of youth to having fewer years of life.
Usage tips
- English often separates boy, teenager, and young man more sharply, while this Chinese term can cover the transition between those age labels when the context does not give an exact boundary.
Other meanings
- young personnoun
- teenagernoun
- young mannoun
Opposites
- 成年人chéng nián rénadultnoun