少 (shǎo): few, less, to lack
少 (shǎo) is a Chinese character meaning “few.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 小 (structural) and 丿 (structural). It ranks #233 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically pictographic, 少 grains of sand; 小 provides the pronunciation and meaning. Its radical form 小 (small) appears in many related characters such as 小 (xiǎo, small), 尚 (shàng, still), 尔 (ěr, thus).
Definitions
- few
- less
- to lack
Etymology & Origin
pictographicGrains of sand; 小 provides the pronunciation and meaning
Decomposition: ⿱小丿 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 少 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 少
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 多少adjective | duō shǎo | number | 1 |
| 至少adverb | zhì shǎo | at least | 4 |
| 减少verb | jiǎn shǎo | to lessen | 4 |
| 少年noun | shào nián | early youth | 4 |
| 缺少verb | quē shǎo | lack | 4 |
| 少数noun | shǎo shù | small number | 4 |
| 少见adjective | shǎo jiàn | rare | 4 |
| 少量adjective | shǎo liàng | a smidgen | 4 |
| 少儿noun | shào ér | child | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 不少adjective | bù shǎo | many |
| 少校noun | shào xiào | junior ranking officer in Chinese army |
| 少女noun | shào nǚ | girl |
| 青少年noun | qīng shào nián | adolescent |
| 少爷noun | shào ye | son of the boss |
| 少尉noun | shào wèi | second lieutenant (army rank) |
| 或多或少phrase | huò duō huò shǎo | more or less |
| 少许adjective | shǎo xǔ | a little |
| 年少adjective | nián shào | young |
| 少将noun | shào jiàng | major general |
| 少不了verb | shǎo bu liǎo | cannot do without |
| 必不可少phrase | bì bù kě shǎo | absolutely necessary |
| 少有adjective | shǎo yǒu | rare |
| 少数民族noun | shǎo shù mín zú | ethnic minority |
| 少年犯noun | shào nián fàn | young criminal |
少 appears in 100 compound words: 50 as the first character, 27 as the last, and 23 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 少 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (29)
(after a sum has been paid in advance) to refund (in case of overpayment) or be reimbursed (in case of underpayment)
to accumulate little by little; many small things add to something great
Showing 12 of 29 idioms containing 少.
Example Sentences
我在字典里查到了少字的详细解释。
wǒ zài zì diǎn lǐ chá dào le shǎo zì de xiáng xì xiè shì .
I looked up the detailed explanation of the character "少" in the dictionary.
男生小便后甩一甩能预防包皮垢吗?减少尿液残留降低刺激吗
nán shēng xiǎo biàn hòu shuǎi yī shuǎi néng yù fáng bāo pí 垢 ma ? jiǎn shǎo niào yè cán liú jiàng dī cì jī ma
Can a boy's shook after urinating prevent smegma? Reduces urine residue and reduces irritation
男生小便后甩一甩能减少异味吗?尿液残留少则氨味轻吗
nán shēng xiǎo biàn hòu shuǎi yī shuǎi néng jiǎn shǎo yì wèi ma ? niào yè cán liú shǎo zé 氨 wèi qīng ma
Can a boy shake after urinating reduce odor? Is the smell of ammonia lighter if there is less urine residue?
...糖食品推荐大全包括什么?每日碳水控制在多少合适
. . . táng shí pǐn tuī jiàn dà quán bāo kuò shén má ? měi rì tàn shuǐ kòng zhì zài duō shǎo gě shì
... What does the sugar food recommendation include? How much is the appropriate amount of carbohydrates per day
...急储蓄帐户可与401(k)计画结合 但很少雇主这样做
. . . jí chǔ xù zhàng hù kě yǔ 4 0 1 ( k ) jì huà jié gě dàn hěn shǎo gù zhǔ zhè yàng zuò
... Emergency savings accounts can be combined with 401(k) plans but few employers do
...法...南华早报:3月川习会 华府筹码更少了
. . . fǎ . . . nán huá zǎo bào : 3 yuè chuān xí huì huá fǔ chóu mǎ gēng shǎo le
... Legal... South China Morning Post: The Sichuan-Xi meeting in March Washington has fewer chips
这个班有多少男生？
Zhège bān yǒu duōshao nánshēng?
How many boys are in this class?
我的房间号是多少？
Wǒ de fángjiān hào shì duōshao?
What's my room number?
所有的医药费我大概要付多少？
Suǒyǒu de yīyàofèi wǒ dàgài yào fù duōshao?
About how much will I have to pay for all the treatments?
从大阪到秋田的车费是多少？
Cóng Dàbǎn dào Qiūtián de chēfèi shì duōshao?
What is the fare from Osaka to Akita?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 少 (shǎo) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 少 have?
What is the radical of 少?
What are the components of 少?
What are common words containing 少?
What characters sound the same as 少 (shǎo)?
Is 少 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 少 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.