小

Small Radical (小)

xiǎo · 3 strokes

The small radical (小) is a radical found in Chinese. It appears in 7 characters related to small and associated concepts. 7 characters: 2 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 3 in HSK 6. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system. Character data is based on the HSK 3.0 Standard (CLEC 2022 syllabus).

Radical vs. Component: 小 is also a character component. As a radical, it classifies characters in dictionaries. As a component, it appears as a building block contributing meaning, sound, or structure. For component-specific details including role analysis and position patterns, see the Small Component (小) page.

Small Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count3
Total Characters7
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 6 (3 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes6
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Small Radical Characters

HSK 1 (2 characters)

少shǎofew小xiǎosmall

HSK 3 (1 characters)

尝chángto taste

HSK 4 (1 characters)

尔ěrthus

HSK 6 (3 characters)

尚shàngstill尖jiānpointed尘chéndust

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the small radical mean in Chinese characters?
The small radical (小) signals a semantic connection to small-related concepts. When you see 小 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves small or associated ideas. It appears in 7 characters in the HSK character set. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system, the traditional standard for organizing Chinese characters.
How many characters use the small radical?
There are 7 characters with the small radical (小) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 2 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 3 in HSK 6. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental small-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common small radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the small radical (小) are: 小 (xiǎo, "small"), 尔 (ěr, "thus"), 少 (shǎo, "few"), 尚 (shàng, "still"), 尖 (jiān, "pointed"). These high-frequency characters are among the first small-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include small radical characters?
Characters with the small radical (小) appear across 4 HSK levels: 2 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 3 in HSK 6. The largest concentration is at HSK 6 with 3 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common small-related characters, while advanced levels add specialized or literary terms.

Sources & Standards

Radical classifications on this page follow the Kangxi radical system (康熙部首), the standard set of 214 radicals codified in the Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典, 1716). Character data is based on the HSK 3.0 Standard (《国际中文教育中文水平等级标准》), published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, 2022 revision.