The Chinese word 少 means “few” or “little”. It is commonly used to indicate a small quantity or number, such as “少量” which means “small amount”. It can also be used to indicate a shortage or lack of something, such as “缺少” which means “to be lacking”. Additionally, 少 can be used as an adjective to describe someone as “少年” which means “young person” or “youth”.
Translation
Adjective: few, little
Pronunciation
Example Sentences
| Chinese | Pinyin | Engish |
|---|---|---|
| 我的钱包里少了一张信用卡 | wǒ de qiánbāo lǐ shǎo le yī zhāng xìnyòngkǎ | There is one less credit card in my wallet |
| 这家餐厅的菜品种类比较少 | zhè jiā cāntīng de càipǐn zhǒnglèi bǐjiào shǎo | This restaurant has fewer menu options |
| 他的话说得很少，很少表达自己的想法 | tā de huà shuō dé hěn shǎo, hěn shǎo biǎodá zìjǐ de xiǎngfǎ | He speaks very little and seldom expresses his thoughts |
| 我们的时间很少，要抓紧完成任务 | wǒmen de shíjiān hěn shǎo, yào zhuājǐn wánchéng rènwù | We have very little time, so we need to hurry and finish the task |
| 这个城市的空气质量越来越差，雾霾天数少的越来越少 | zhège chéngshì de kōngqì zhìliàng yuè lái yuè chà, wùmái tiānshù shǎo de yuè lái yuè shǎo | The air quality in this city is getting worse, and there are fewer and fewer days with clear skies |
| 我们公司的员工比去年少了一半 | wǒmen gōngsī de yuángōng bǐ qùnián shǎo le yī bàn | Our company has half as many employees as last year |
HSK
少 is part of HSK Level 1 in both HSK 2.0 and HSK 3.0.
Learning Card
