adj., v.
Small in number or quantity; a tiny amount. To be few, little, or insufficient; to lack or miss something. 小 (small) with a stroke (丿) slicing away the rest, leaving only a little.
少
Common Usage & Traps
- 很少 — very few; very little
- 少一点 — a little less
- 少吃一点 — eat a little less
- 少五块钱 — five yuan short
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少人人很少English puts 'few' before a noun, but Mandarin says 人很少 for a simple statement.
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吃少一点少吃一点English puts 'less' after the action, but Mandarin puts 少 before the action word.
Why is 少人 wrong for 'few people' when 人很少 is right?
少人 sounds wrong; natives put 少 after the noun: 人很少.
English lets you put 'few' before a noun, so 少人 feels logical. Chinese does not use 少 that way for simple statements. To say people are few, start with 人 and then say 很少. If you need 'few people' before another action, 很少人 can work, but 少人 alone is not normal.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| People are few | 人很少。 | 少人。 |
| Few people know | 很少人知道。 | 少人知道。 |
| Word order | 这个地方人很少。 | 这个地方少人。 |
Can 少 mean 'short by' in money, as in 少五块钱?
Yes. 少五块钱 means 'five yuan short', not 'few five yuan'.
Learners first learn 少 as 'few' or 'little'. In money and math talk, 少 can also mean 'be short by'. The pattern is 少 + amount: 少五块钱, 少十块. The amount comes after 少, and the person or thing can come before it.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Short by an amount | 少五块钱。 | 五块钱少。 |
| Person is short | 我少十块。 | 我十块少。 |
| Talking about little money | 钱很少。 | 少钱。 |
Can you put 少 before an action word to mean 'do less', like 少吃一点?
Yes. 少吃一点 means 'eat a little less'; 吃少一点 sounds off.
To tell someone to do less of something, put 少 before the action word. 少吃一点, 少喝一点, and 少说两句 all sound natural. The amount or object can come after the action word. If you put 少 after the action word, it often sounds like a result or comparison, not a direct request.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Eat less | 少吃一点。 | 吃少一点。 |
| Drink less | 少喝一点。 | 喝少一点。 |
| Speak less | 少说两句。 | 说少两句。 |
Featured in Story Deep Dive
Follow how this word unfolds across the narrative arc of this graded story.
This heartwarming story shows how a small act of kindness can be passed on. Follow Gao Xianming as he learns an important lesson about generosity in his new city.
- Scene #1
坐车要九块钱，高先明手里有四块钱， 少 五块钱。
- Scene #2
高先明看见一个中国同学安小语，也是手里 少 五块钱，不能上车。
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