少 (shǎo)

few; less; to lack; to be missing; to stop (doing sth); seldom

Etymology

Depicts four dots, representing the meaning "few". Originally the same character as 小. The small dots possibly represent grains of sand (沙).

Shuowen Jiezi

《說文》：“少，不多也。从小，丿聲。”

Example sentences

  1. 多少钱？ — How much is it?
  2. 多少人？ — How many people?
  3. 少来了！ — Cut it out!
  4. 这个多少？ — How much is it?
  5. 少了什么？ — What is missing?

View all 50 example sentences for 少 →