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 "young"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "young", including 小 (xiǎo), 少 (shǎo), 弱 (ruò), 仔 (zǐ / zī / zǎi), 幼 (yòu). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "young" covers 5 different Chinese characters — 小 (xiǎo), 少 (shǎo), 弱 (ruò), 仔 (zǐ / zī / zǎi), 幼 (yòu) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 5 characters do not share a sound — their readings span xiǎo, shǎo, ruò, zǐ, zī, zǎi, and more — 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
- 少 shǎofew; little; lack; youngUseful words: 多少, 不少
- 弱 ruòweak; feeble; young; inferiorUseful words: 薄弱, 脆弱
- 仔 zǐ / zī / zǎiduty; responsibility; minutely; youngUseful words: 仔细, 牛仔裤
- 幼 yòuyoungUseful words: 幼儿园, 幼稚
Common words for these 5 "young" characters
Anchor each of these 5 characters in a word you can picture — start with 小 (xiǎo) — so "young" 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薄弱bó ruòweak; frail脆弱cuì ruòweak; frail弱点ruò diǎnweak point; failing仔细zǐ xìcareful; attentive; cautious; to be careful
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 "young".
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)
弱 ruò — weak; feeble; young; inferior
他生病以后身体变得很虚弱。Tā shēng bìng yǐ hòu shēn tǐ biàn de hěn xū ruò.After getting sick, he became very weak.
Common words: 薄弱 (bó ruò)、脆弱 (cuì ruò)、弱点 (ruò diǎn)
仔 zǐ / zī / zǎi — duty; responsibility; minutely; young
做题的时候要仔细，别马虎。Zuò tí de shí hou yào zǐ xì, bié mǎ hu.When doing problems, be careful and do not be sloppy.
Common words: 仔细 (zǐ xì)、牛仔裤 (niú zǎi kù)、公仔 (gōng zǎi)
幼 yòu — young
幼儿园里传来了孩子们的欢笑声。Yòu ér yuán lǐ chuán lái le hái zi men de huān xiào shēng.The laughter of children comes from the kindergarten.
Common words: 幼儿园 (yòu ér yuán)、幼稚 (yòu zhì)、幼时 (yòu shí)
All 5 characters
Open 小、少、弱 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.