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)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "lack"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "lack", including 少 (shǎo), 缺 (quē), 短 (duǎn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "lack" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 少 (shǎo), 缺 (quē), 短 (duǎn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shǎo, quē, duǎn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 少 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 少 shǎofew; little; lack; youngUseful words: 多少, 不少
- 缺 quēlack; scarce; vacant post; to run short ofUseful words: 缺少, 缺点
- 短 duǎnlack; shortUseful words: 短信, 短期
Common words for these 3 "lack" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 少 (shǎo) — so "lack" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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缺少quē shǎolack; shortage of; shortfall; to be short (of)缺点quē diǎnweak point; fault; shortcoming; disadvantage缺乏quē fáto lack; to be short of短信duǎn xìntext message; SMS短期duǎn qīshort-term短裤duǎn kùshort pants; shorts
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 3 ways to say "lack".
缺 quē — lack; scarce; vacant post; to run short of
做这道菜还缺一点儿盐。Zuò zhè dào cài hái quē yì diǎnr yán.This dish still lacks a little salt.
Common words: 缺少 (quē shǎo)、缺点 (quē diǎn)、缺乏 (quē fá)
短 duǎn — lack; short
夏天的白天长，冬天的白天短。Xià tiān de bái tiān cháng, dōng tiān de bái tiān duǎn.In summer the days are long; in winter the days are short.
Common words: 短信 (duǎn xìn)、短期 (duǎn qī)、短裤 (duǎn kù)
All 3 characters
Open 少、缺、短 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.