少shǎofew
少 (shǎo) means "few" or "less." It appears in 这里人很少。 (There are few people here.) and 我要少吃一点儿。 (I want to eat a little less.) In the dialogue, A notices the place is quiet, and B blames the bad weather. Then A suggests eating, and B agrees but plans to eat less.
What does 少 mean?
- 1.
fewadjective
- 2.
lessadverb
What does the character 少 mean?
- 少few
How do you use 少?
See it in 人很少 and 少吃一点儿
What are some examples of 少 in a sentence?
How is 少 used in a conversation?
- Speaker A:
这里人很少。
Zhèlǐ rén hěn shǎo.
There are few people here.
- Speaker B:
是啊,今天天气不好。
Shì a, jīntiān tiānqì bù hǎo.
Yes, the weather is bad today.
- Speaker A:
我们去吃饭吧。
Wǒmen qù chīfàn ba.
Let's go eat.
- Speaker B:
好,我要少吃一点儿。
Hǎo, wǒ yào shǎo chī yìdiǎnr.
OK, I want to eat a little less.
Can you use 少 correctly?
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- HSK 3.0 guideHow the nine levels and three bands work.
Related words
- 至少zhì shǎoat leastHSK 4
- 冷lěngcoldHSK 1
- 多duōmany; much; more; a lot ofHSK 1
- 大dàbig; large; greatHSK 1
- 女nǚfemaleHSK 1
- 好hǎogood; appropriate; properHSK 1
Browse every entry in the Chinese word dictionary.
English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.