少 (shǎo): Translation, Pronunciation and Example Sentences

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

ChinesePinyinEngish
我的钱包里少了一张信用卡wǒ de qiánbāo lǐ shǎo le yī zhāng xìnyòngkǎThere 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 shǎoThis 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 xiǎngfǎHe 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 rènwùWe 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 shǎoThe 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 bànOur 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

Learning card for Chinese word 少 with Pinyin and English Translation