Chinese word

少

Pronunciation

Pinyinshǎo

Meaning

  • adjectivelittle

Example

我的时间很少。wǒ de shí jiān hén shǎo

I have very little time.

Illustration for 少 (little)

More examples

公园里人少。gōng yuán lǐ rén shǎo

There are few people in the park.

Core concept

A noticeably reduced amount, number, frequency, or intensity compared with what is usual.

Common phrases

  • 人少rén shǎo

    few people

  • 时间少shí jiān shǎo

    little time

  • 钱少qián shǎo

    little money

Similar words

很少hén shǎo: Having very little in amount, number, frequency, or degree, or happening very rarely.
不多bù duō: Having an amount, number, frequency, or degree that is not large.
不太多bú tài duō: Having an amount, number, frequency, or degree that is not very large.

Definition in Chinese

表示数量、次数或程度比常见情况要少，指不多、数量稀少或程度较低。biǎo shì shù liàng cì shù huò chéng dù bǐ cháng jiàn qíng kuàng yào shǎo zhǐ bù duō shù liàng xī shǎo huò chéng dù jiào dī

Word origin

少 (shǎo, "little") began with the idea of smallness and extended from physical amount to frequency and degree.

Usage tips

  • The same word covers time, opportunities, and strength, so the surrounding noun or description shows what is being measured.

Other meanings

  • a bitadverb
  • slightlyadverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word