少 (shǎo) - few & little

少Tone 3

shǎo ｜ 4 strokes ｜ radical: 小

上姝

少 · shǎo

few;

little;

less;

to lack;

to be short of;

young

fewlittleless

Usage highlights

few peoplelittle moneyyoung masterminorityat leastreduce

Synonyms

  • 寡— few; scant
  • 稀— sparse; rare
  • 微— slight; tiny

Antonyms

  • 多— many; much
  • 众— numerous; crowd
  • 繁— abundant; numerous

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • There are few people here (人少).
  • I have little money (钱少).
  • He is younger than me (他比我少).
  • We are short of time (时间少).

Collocations

  • few people(人少)
  • little money(钱少)
  • young master(少爷)
  • minority(少数)
  • at least(至少)
  • reduce(减少)

Idioms

  • Few and far between(寥若晨星)
  • Rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns(凤毛麟角)
  • The younger generation will surpass the older(后生可畏)
  • To make a long story short(长话短说)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Confucian culture, humility is valued, so describing one's possessions or achievements as '少' is common.
  • The character appears in terms related to social hierarchy, such as 少爷 (young master), indicating youth and status.
  • In Daoist philosophy, '少' is associated with simplicity and reducing desires to achieve harmony.

FAQ