少

2 readings · tap one to hear it

few; less; to lack; to be missing; to stop (doing sth); seldom

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HSK 3.0: Level 1
Old HSK: Level 1
Strokes: 4
Radical: 小 +1
Structure: Top–bottom 上下
Traditional: 少
Common rank: #675
Unicode: U+5C11

Sound it out + = · + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

How 少 is formed

Pictograph (象形字)

Grains of sand; 小 provides the pronunciation and meaning

Components 小丿

How to remember it

few · Heisig RSH #110

a drop of + 小 small

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

Words with 少

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
多少	duō shǎo	number; amount; somewhat
多少	duō shao	how much?; how many?; (phone number, student ID etc) what number?
多一事不如少一事	duō yī shì bù rú shǎo yī shì	it is better to avoid unnecessary trouble (idiom); the less complications the better
花有重开日，人无再少年	huā yǒu chóng kāi rì , rén wú zài shào nián	a flower may blossom again, but a person cannot get young again (proverb)
少不经事	shào bù jīng shì	see 少不更事[shao4 bu4 geng1 shi4]
少年之家	shào nián zhī jiā	children's center; children's club
少子化	shǎo zǐ huà	declining birthrate (orthographic borrowing from Japanese 少子化 "shoushika")
少白头	shào bái tóu	to be prematurely gray; young person with graying hair
少年老成	shào nián lǎo chéng	accomplished though young; lacking youthful vigor
少数民族	shǎo shù mín zú	ethnic minority
不可少	bù kě shǎo	indispensable; essential
少不得	shǎo bu dé	cannot be avoided; cannot do without
少东家	shào dōng jiā	boss's son
年少无知	nián shào wú zhī	(idiom) young and inexperienced; unsophisticated
少年人	shào nián rén	(Tw) young people; youngster
有不少名堂	yǒu bù shǎo míng tang	there is a lot to it; not a straightforward matter
少阳病	shào yáng bìng	name of disease in TCM
老来少	lǎo lái shào	old but young at heart
少阳经	shào yáng jīng	lesser yang gallbladder meridian of the leg (one of the 12 principal meridians of TCM)
不少	bù shǎo	many; quite a few; a good number of

Sound family

These characters use 少 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
少 sound part	shǎo	few, little; less; inadequate
沙	shā	sand, gravel, pebbles; granulated
省	shěng	province; frugal; to save, to leave out
妙	miào	mysterious, subtle; clever, exquisite, wonderful
炒	chǎo	to boil, to fry, to roast, to sauté; to trade stock
抄	chāo	copy, plagiarism; to confiscate, to seize
纱	shā	gauze, muslin, yarn
秒	miǎo	a second; a corn kernel; measure word for time
钞	chāo	bank note, paper money; to counterfeit
吵	chǎo	to argue, to dispute; to annoy, to disturb
耖	chào	harrow-like implement for pulverizing clods of soil; to level ground with such an implemen…