小 xiǎo — small; tiny; few; young
这只小猫很可爱。Zhè zhī xiǎo māo hěn kě ài.This little cat is very cute.
Common words: 小时 (xiǎo shí)、小姐 (xiǎo jie)、小学 (xiǎo xué)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "few"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "few", including 小 (xiǎo), 些 (xiē), 少 (shǎo), 鲜 (xiān / xiǎn), 寡 (guǎ). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "few" covers 5 different Chinese characters — 小 (xiǎo), 些 (xiē), 少 (shǎo), 鲜 (xiān / xiǎn), 寡 (guǎ) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 5 characters do not share a sound — their readings span xiǎo, xiē, shǎo, xiān, xiǎn, guǎ — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 小 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 小 xiǎosmall; tiny; few; youngUseful words: 小时, 小姐
- 些 xiēsome; few; several; (a measure word)Useful words: 这些, 一些
- 少 shǎofew; little; lack; youngUseful words: 多少, 不少
- 鲜 xiān / xiǎnfresh; few; rareUseful words: 新鲜, 鲜花
- 寡 guǎfew; widowedUseful words: 寡妇, 孤陋寡闻
Common words for these 5 "few" characters
Anchor each of these 5 characters in a word you can picture — start with 小 (xiǎo) — so "few" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
小时xiǎo shíhour小姐xiǎo jieyoung lady; miss; (slang) prostitute小学xiǎo xuéelementary school; primary school这些zhè xiēthese一些yī xiēsome; a few; a little; (following an adjective) slightly ...er那些nà xiēthose多少duō shǎonumber; amount; somewhat不少bù shǎomany; quite a few; a good number of少年shào niánearly youth; youngster; (literary) youth; young man新鲜xīn xiānfresh (experience, food etc); freshness; novel; uncommon
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 5 ways to say "few".
些 xiē — some; few; several; (a measure word)
我买了一些水果。Wǒ mǎi le yì xiē shuǐ guǒ.I bought some fruit.
Common words: 这些 (zhè xiē)、一些 (yī xiē)、那些 (nà xiē)
少 shǎo — few; little; lack; young
今天路上的车很少。Jīn tiān lù shàng de chē hěn shǎo.There are few cars on the road today.
Common words: 多少 (duō shǎo)、不少 (bù shǎo)、少年 (shào nián)
鲜 xiān / xiǎn — fresh; few; rare
市场上的蔬菜很新鲜。Shì chǎng shàng de shū cài hěn xīn xiān.The vegetables at the market are very fresh.
Common words: 新鲜 (xīn xiān)、鲜花 (xiān huā)、海鲜 (hǎi xiān)
寡 guǎ — few; widowed
他平时沉默寡言，很少说话。Tā píng shí chén mò guǎ yán, hěn shǎo shuō huà.He is usually quiet and reserved, rarely speaking.
Common words: 寡妇 (guǎ fu)、孤陋寡闻 (gū lòu guǎ wén)、寡人 (guǎ rén)
All 5 characters
Open 小、些、少 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.