少 shǎo, shào — few, little; to be short of, to be missing; (shào) young
shǎo (third tone, dipping) shào (fourth tone, falling)
2 readings — the first is the most common.
few, little; to be short of, to be missing; (shào) young
4 strokesRadical 小Frequency #136
Pinyin
- shǎo (third tone, dipping)most common
- shào (fourth tone, falling)
few, little; to be short of, to be missing; (shào) young
Character breakdown
Mnemonic
The three specks of 小 with a fourth stroke slicing away to the left: something small with a piece taken off it. Paired with 多 it asks quantity — 多少钱? — and on its own it means "few" or "missing": 很少, 少了一个人. In the fourth tone, shào, it means young: 少年.
A memory aid written by HSK Guide editors. It is not an etymology and does not describe the historical origin of the character.