Dictionary › 少

少

shǎo

HSK 1 Character

What 少 means

1. few
2. less
3. to lack
4. to be missing
5. to stop (doing sth)
6. seldom

Other readings

少 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• shàoyoung

Example sentences

• 少贫嘴。
  Shǎo pínzuǐ.
  Quit chattering.
• 多少钱？
  How much is it?
• 多少人？
  How many people?
• 少来了！
  Cut it out!
• 那很稀少。
  Nà hěn xīshǎo.
  That's very rare.
• 你少臭美！
  Nǐ shǎo chòuměi!
  As if!

Words starting with 少

• 少年shào niánearly youth; youngster; (literary) youth; young man
• 少女shào nǚgirl; young lady
• 少数shǎo shùsmall number; few; minority
• 少爷shào yeson of the boss; young master of the house; your son (honorific)
• 少数民族shǎo shù mín zúethnic minority
• 少有shǎo yǒurare; infrequent
• 少量shǎo liànga smidgen; a little bit; a few
• 少见shǎo jiànrare; seldom seen; (formal) it's a rare pleasure to see you
• 少不了shǎo bu liǎocannot do without; to be unavoidable; are bound to be many
• 少妇shào fùyoung married woman
• 少许shǎo xǔa little; a few
• 少儿shào érchild
• 少林Shào línthe Shaolin monastery and martial arts school
• 少校shào xiàojunior ranking officer in Chinese army; major; lieutenant commander
• 少将shào jiàngmajor general; rear admiral; air vice marshal
• 少林寺Shào lín SìShaolin Temple, Buddhist monastery famous for its kung fu monks
• 少男少女shào nán shào nǚboys and girls; teenagers
• 少先队Shào Xiān duìYoung Pioneers of China, abbr. for 少年先锋队
• 少尉shào wèisecond lieutenant (army rank)
• 少奶奶shào nǎi naiyoung lady of the house; wife of the young master
• 少年宫Shào nián GōngChildren's Palace, institution where children can take part in various extracurricular…
• 少不得shǎo bu décannot be avoided; cannot do without
• 少男shào nányoung, unmarried male; young guy
• 少年人shào nián rén(Taiwan) young people; youngster

Words containing 少

• 多少duō shǎonumber; amount; somewhat
• 不少bù shǎomany; quite a few; a good number of
• 至少zhì shǎoat least; (to say the) least
• 减少jiǎn shǎoto lessen; to decrease; to reduce; to lower
• 缺少quē shǎolack; shortage of; shortfall
• 青少年qīng shào niánadolescent; youth; teenager
• 最少zuì shǎoat least; minimum; lowest (amount)
• 年少nián shàoyoung; junior
• 刘少奇Liú Shào qíLiu Shaoqi (1898-1969), Chinese communist leader, a martyr of the Cultural Revolution
• 稀少xī shǎosparse; rare
• 必不可少bì bù kě shǎoabsolutely necessary; indispensable; essential
• 或多或少huò duō huò shǎomore or less
• 极少数jí shǎo shùextremely few; a small minority
• 多多少少duō duō shǎo shǎoto some extent; more or less
• 男女老少nán nǚ lǎo shàomen, women, young and old; all kinds of people; people of all ages
• 老少lǎo shàothe old and the young
• 凶多吉少xiōng duō jí shǎo(lit.) everything bodes ill, no positive signs (idiom); (fig.) inauspicious…
• 过少guò shǎotoo few; insufficient
• 空少kōng shàoairline steward (abbr. for 空中少爷
• 不可少bù kě shǎoindispensable; essential
• 多少有些duō shǎo yǒu xiēsomewhat; more or less
• 年少无知nián shào wú zhī(idiom) young and inexperienced; unsophisticated
• 也好不了多少yě hǎo bu liǎo duō shǎohardly any better; just as bad
• 老来少lǎo lái shàoold but young at heart

Characters that look like 少

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 小xiǎosmall; tiny; few
• 夕xī(bound form) sunset; dusk; (bound form) evening; night; Taiwan pr. xì