View source for 少

{{also|𣥂}}
{{character info}}
==Translingual==
{{stroke order|strokes=4}}
{{stroke order|type=animate}}

===Alternative forms===
* Note that in Japanese {{w|Kanji}}, Korean {{w|Hanja}} and Vietnamese {{w|History of writing in Vietnam|Nom}}, the middle stroke of the top component {{l|mul|小}} is written {{l|mul|亅}} with a hook whereas in modern Chinese scripts the middle stroke is written {{l|mul|丨}} with no downward hook.

===Han character===
{{Han char|rn=42|rad=小|as=01|sn=4|four=90200|canj=FH|ids=⿱𡭔丿(GT),⿱小丿(HJKV)}}

====Derived characters====
* {{l|mul|[[𠃣]], [[仯]], [[吵]], [[妙]], [[㠺]], [[抄]], [[沙]], [[䏚]], [[杪]], [[炒]], [[玅]], [[眇]], [[砂]], [[秒]], [[竗]], [[𡭱]], [[粆]], [[紗]]([[纱]]), [[耖]], [[䖢]], [[觘]], [[訬]], [[赻]], [[䟞]], [[𨈘]], [[鈔]]([[钞]]), [[𡮓]], [[𡮘]], [[䩖]], [[𩖥]], [[𩚙]], [[𩡾]], [[尟]], [[尠]], [[𩨡]], [[𩲎]], [[㝺]], [[𡮞]], [[魦]]([[𫚌]]), [[麨]]([[𪎊]]), [[㝻]], [[𡮩]], [[𡮳]], [[𡮹]]}}
* {{l|mul|[[𠚺]], [[𨙹]], [[𣢒]], [[𬆠]], [[𨚈]], [[𨤢]], [[𪨄]], [[𡵯]], [[䒚]], [[𠀰]], [[䯯]], [[歩]], [[𣲦]], [[劣]], [[毟]], [[省]], [[𡭲]], [[𡭺]], [[雀]], [[㝹]], [[𡮯]], [[䲵]]}}
* {{l|mul|[[隲]], [[蠽]], [[𡂌]], [[𡮗]], [[𣻾]]}}

====References====
{{Han ref|kx=0296.200|dkj=07475|dj=0590.020|hdz=10561.020|uh=5C11}}

==Chinese==
{{zh-forms}}

===Glyph origin===
{{Han etym}}
{{liushu|p}} – four dots, perhaps three grains of sand (see [[沙]]), to indicate "a few, a little". Phonetically borrowed from {{och-l|小|small}}, which is depicted by three dots.

Unrelated to [[步]] (and hence [[歲]]), in which the lower component is the stylization of a foot.

===Pronunciation 1===
{{zh-pron
|m=shǎo
|m-s=sao4
|dg=шо2
|c=siu2
|c-t=siau2
|g=seu3
|h=pfs=séu;gd=sau3
|j=sau2
|mb=siǎu
|md=ciēu/siēu
|md_note=ciēu - colloquial; siēu - literary
|mn=chió/siáu
|mn_note=chió - vernacular; siáu - literary
|mn-t=ziê2/zio2
|mn-t_note=ziê2 - Chaozhou, vernacular; zio2 - Shantou, vernacular
|px=pt,xy:zieo3/pt,xy:sieo3
|px_note=zieo3 - vernacular; sieo3 - literary
|w=sh:5sau;sz:3sau
|x=sau3
|mc=1
|oc=1,1
|ma=y
|ca=LL-Q9186-Justinrleung-少.wav
|cat=det,a,v,adv
}}
{{rfp|zh|Gan, Jin, Xiang, Northern Min pronunciations are missing by senses}}

====Definitions====
{{head|zh|hanzi}}

# [[few]]; [[little]] in number; [[less]]; not [[many]]
#: {{zh-x|很 少{shǎo} 人 知道 實情。|Very '''few''' people know the truth.}}
#: {{zh-x|只有 很 少{shǎo} 麵包 和 餅乾{gān}。|There is only very '''little''' bread and biscuits.}}
# [[weak]]; [[inadequate]]; [[insufficient]]
# {{†}} {{alt form|zh|小|t=[[small]]; [[tiny]]}}
# to [[lack]]; to be [[short]] of; to be [[deficient]]
#: {{zh-x|臥室 裡 少{shǎo} 一 隻 電燈泡。|There's a light bulb '''missing''' in the bedroom.}}
#: {{zh-x|少 咗 碗 飯|'''missing''' a bowl of rice|C}}
#: {{zh-x|裝 少 咗 兩 粒 螺絲|forgot to install two screws|C}}
# to [[reduce]] (the amount or extent); to [[weaken]]; to [[lose]]; to [[stop]]; to [[cease]]
#: {{zh-x|他 屋 裡 少{shǎo} 了 東西{xi}。|He '''lost''' something in his house.}}
#: {{zh-x|少{shǎo} 說 廢話！|'''Stop''' chattering!}}
# {{†}} to [[despise]]; to [[look down]]; to [[belittle]]
# [[slightly]]; [[moderately]]; [[a little]]; [[a bit]]
# [[seldom]]; [[rarely]]; [[infrequently]]
#: {{zh-x|懶惰 的 人 很 少{shǎo} 會 成功。|Lazy people '''seldom''' succeed.}}
# in a [[little]] [[while]]; [[in]] a [[moment]]
# {{lb|zh|Hong Kong Cantonese|Internet slang|neologism}} [[slightly]]; [[somewhat]]
#: {{zh-co|少 癲|'''somewhat''' crazy|C-HK}}
#: {{ant|yue|大|tr=daai{{sup|6}}}}
#: {{alti|yue|小}}
# 5th [[tetragram]] of the [[Taixuanjing]] ([[𝌊]])

=====Synonyms=====
{{zh-dial}}

=====Antonyms=====
* {{antsense|few}} {{zh-l|多}}

====Compounds====
{{col3|zh|多少|很少|不在少數|最少|少見多怪|寡見少聞|以少克眾|少禮|少量|多共少|少坐|少不得|少敘|少懈|少少|多多少少|兵少將微|少停|少陪|少親失眷|少見|少頃|多退少補|少息|寡情少義|多凶少吉|少頭無尾|少魂沒識|不少|少魂失魄|少調失教|少管閒事|少私寡慾|少焉|少氣無力|少歇|少有|少日|少數民族|少差|少安無躁|少刻|少來|凶多吉少|寡二少雙|少不了|僧多粥少|少憩|少間|少心眼|寡恩少義|少數|少候|少待|少安毋躁|少許|不多不少|少一缺二|寡聞少見|少吃無著|古今少有|多少是好|少時|少安勿躁|會少離多|沒多少|積少成多|減少|稀少|短少|沒魂少智|眾少不敵|狼多肉少|疏謀少略|抵多少|沉靜少言|沉重少言|眾少成多|粥少僧多|缺少|缺斤少兩|辭多受少|缺衣少食|花多實少|鮮少|食少事煩|虛多實少|絕甘分少|重厚少文|至少|少之又少|少言寡語}}

===Pronunciation 2===
{{zh-pron
|m=shào
|c=siu3
|g=
|h=pfs=seu;gd=sau4
|j=
|mb=
|md=siéu
|mn=siàu
|mn-t=siao3
|px=pt,xy:sieo4
|w=sh:5sau
|x=sau4
|mc=2
|oc=2,2
|ma=y
|cat=a,n,pn
}}

====Definitions====
{{head|zh|hanzi}}

# [[young]]; [[youthful]]; [[juvenile]]
#: {{zh-x|別 看 她 歲數 大，可 長{zhǎng} 得 少 相。|Despite her age, she still looked young.}}
# [[later]] in a [[sequence]]; [[younger]]; [[youngest]]
# [[childhood]]; [[youth]]; [[young]] [[period]]
#* {{zh-x|少 小 離 家 老 大 回|Leaving home young, returning home old|CL|ref={{w|He Zhizhang}}}}
# [[young]] [[man]]; [[youngster]]; [[junior]]
# {{lb|zh|historical}} [[deputy]]; [[assistant]]
# {{lb|zh|historical}} [[young]] [[master]] of a [[rich]] [[family]]
#: {{zh-co|二 少{siu3}|second '''young master'''|C}}
# {{surname|zh}}

=====Synonyms=====
{{zh-dial|年輕}}

====Compounds====
{{col3|zh|少年郎|少林寺|少保|少不經事|卻少|少年法庭|少年才俊|少牢|少年老成|少艾|五陵年少|少林派|少不更事|太子少保|少年組|慘綠少年|少傅|少奶奶|年少得志|嵩少|大少爺|惡少|少婦|少白頭|少爺|少棒|少林拳|少東|少昊|少成若性|少年人|少年|少師|少小|少尉|少子|少女嫩婦|少女|少商|少像|年少|少府|太子少師|少女情懷|問題少年|少壯|少年犯罪|安老懷少|不良少年|年少氣盛|空中少爺|盧家少婦|老少|老少男女|裙屐少年|虞犯少年|老醫少卜|老少年|老的少的|老少咸宜|老老少少|資淺齒少|青少棒|青少年|闊少|遺少|老少配|荷花大少|裴少俊|老少一同|老少無欺}}

===References===
* {{R:yue:Hanzi}}
* {{R:cpx:PHMZ|206}}

{{cat|cmn|Beginning Mandarin}}

==Japanese==

===Kanji===
{{ja-kanji|grade=2|rs=小01}}

# [[a little]]

====Readings====
{{ja-readings
|goon=しょう<せう
|kanon=しょう<せう
|kun=すく-ない, すこ-し, しばら-く
}}

====Compounds====
{{col-top|3|com}}
* {{ja-r|少女|しょうじょ}}
* {{ja-r|少年|しょうねん}}
* {{ja-r|少少|しょうしょう}}, {{ja-r|少々|しょうしょう}}
{{col-bottom}}

==Korean==

===Etymology===
{{rfe|ko|Middle Korean readings, if any}}

===Pronunciation===
{{ko-hanja-pron|소|l=y}}

===Hanja===
{{ko-hanja-search}}
{{ko-hanja|적다|적을|소}}

# {{hanja form of|소|(to be) [[little]]; (to be) [[few]]}}

====Compounds====
* {{ko-l|소녀|[[girl]]|少女}}
* {{ko-l|소년|[[boy]]|少年}}
* {{ko-l|청소년|[[adolescent]], [[teenager]]|靑少年}}

==Vietnamese==

===Han character===
{{vi-readings|rs=小01
|hanviet=thiếu-tdcndg;tdcntd;gdhn;tvctdhv;hvttd;tchvtd, thiểu-tdcndg;tdcntd;gdhn;tvctdhv;hvttd;tchvtd
|phienthiet=
|nom=thiếu-tdcndg;tdcntd;gdhn, thiểu-tdcndg;tdcntd;gdhn, thểu-tdcntd, thỉu-tdcntd, thẹo-gdhn, thẻo-gdhn, ít-tdcntd
}}

# {{vi-Han form of|thiếu|[[lack]], [[short]] [[on]]}}
# {{vi-Nom form of|ít|[[few]], [[little]]}}
# {{vi-Nom form of|thẹo|[[scar]]}}

===References===
<references/>