Difference between revisions of "Comparing "shao" and "xiao""
| Line 6: | Line 6: | ||
{{2021-HSK|HSK2}} | {{2021-HSK|HSK2}} | ||
| − | == To | + | == To express "small" (size) or "young" use 小 == |
| + | |||
| + | These are fairly obvious, because most of them work as direct translations from Chinese to English. | ||
=== Common Phrases === | === Common Phrases === | ||
| Line 12: | Line 14: | ||
<div class="liju dapei"> | <div class="liju dapei"> | ||
* 小孩儿 | * 小孩儿 | ||
| − | |||
* 小问题 | * 小问题 | ||
| − | * | + | * 小事 |
* 声音很小 | * 声音很小 | ||
* 雨很小 | * 雨很小 | ||
| Line 21: | Line 22: | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
| − | == To | + | === Example Sentences === |
| + | |||
| + | <div class="liju"> | ||
| + | * | ||
| + | </div> | ||
| + | |||
| + | == To express "small" in magnitude learn set phrases == | ||
| + | |||
| + | These are a bit tricky because they don't translate directly into English using the word "small" or little, but you nevertheless have to learn them. We won't cover all of these phrases here; we'll just share some of the more common ones. | ||
=== Common Phrases === | === Common Phrases === | ||
<div class="liju dapei"> | <div class="liju dapei"> | ||
| − | * | + | * 声音很小 |
| + | * 雨很小 | ||
| + | </div> | ||
| + | |||
| + | Don't use 少 for these meanings. | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Example Sentences === | ||
| + | |||
| + | <div class="liju"> | ||
| + | * | ||
| + | </div> | ||
| + | |||
| + | == To express "young" as an adjective use 小 == | ||
| + | |||
| + | This one you need to watch out for, because as a speaker of English, you're going to want to translate "young" as 年轻 (niánqīng), but in fact 年轻 (niánqīng) only works as the opposite of *old*. So if you just want to say you're slightly younger than someone else (maybe by a year), you need to use 小. If you use 年轻, you're implying that the other person is *old*. | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Example Sentences === | ||
| + | |||
| + | <div class="liju"> | ||
| + | * | ||
| + | </div> | ||
| + | |||
| + | === 少 only means "young" when used in certain nouns === | ||
| + | |||
| + | Meanwhile, 少 can also be used to mean "young," but *only in set words* which you'll learn later, such as 少年 (shàonián) or 少女 (shàonǚ). In these words, 少 is pronounced fourth tone ("shào") rather than the usual third tone ("shǎo"). | ||
| + | |||
| + | == To say "few" or "small" in *quantity* or *number*, use 少 == | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Common Phrases === | ||
| + | |||
| + | <div class="liju dapei"> | ||
| + | * 朋友很少 | ||
| + | * 钱很少 | ||
| + | </div> | ||
| + | |||
| + | Obviously, you can't use 小 for these meanings. | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Example Sentences === | ||
| + | |||
| + | <div class="liju"> | ||
| + | * | ||
| + | </div> | ||
| + | |||
| + | == To express "young" as an adjective use 小 == | ||
| + | |||
| + | == To say "seldom" or "rarely", use 少 == | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Pattern === | ||
| + | |||
| + | <div class="jiegou"> | ||
| + | （很）少 + Verb Phrase | ||
| + | </div> | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Example Sentences === | ||
| + | <div class="liju"> | ||
| + | * | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
Revision as of 07:37, 16 March 2022
Both 少 and 小 can translated to mean “little”. In this sense 少 means “little” as small in quantity or number, while 小 means “little” as small in size or magnitude. Yet, each has distinct uses as 少 can also mean “seldom”, “few”, or “less”, and 小 can also mean “young”, “minor”, or “petty”.
| 少 (shǎo) | 小 (xiǎo) | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | small (quantity or number), seldom, few, less | small (size or magnitude), young, minor, petty |
| Part of Speech | adjective | adjective |
| Formality | flexible | flexible |
Contents
- 1 To express "small" (size) or "young" use 小
- 2 To express "small" in magnitude learn set phrases
- 3 To express "young" as an adjective use 小
- 4 To say "few" or "small" in *quantity* or *number*, use 少
- 5 To express "young" as an adjective use 小
- 6 To say "seldom" or "rarely", use 少
- 7 Sources and further reading
To express "small" (size) or "young" use 小
These are fairly obvious, because most of them work as direct translations from Chinese to English.
Common Phrases
- 小孩儿
- 小问题
- 小事
- 声音很小
- 雨很小
- 小国
- 小房子
Example Sentences
To express "small" in magnitude learn set phrases
These are a bit tricky because they don't translate directly into English using the word "small" or little, but you nevertheless have to learn them. We won't cover all of these phrases here; we'll just share some of the more common ones.
Common Phrases
- 声音很小
- 雨很小
Don't use 少 for these meanings.
Example Sentences
To express "young" as an adjective use 小
This one you need to watch out for, because as a speaker of English, you're going to want to translate "young" as 年轻 (niánqīng), but in fact 年轻 (niánqīng) only works as the opposite of *old*. So if you just want to say you're slightly younger than someone else (maybe by a year), you need to use 小. If you use 年轻, you're implying that the other person is *old*.
Example Sentences
少 only means "young" when used in certain nouns
Meanwhile, 少 can also be used to mean "young," but *only in set words* which you'll learn later, such as 少年 (shàonián) or 少女 (shàonǚ). In these words, 少 is pronounced fourth tone ("shào") rather than the usual third tone ("shǎo").
To say "few" or "small" in *quantity* or *number*, use 少
Common Phrases
- 朋友很少
- 钱很少
Obviously, you can't use 小 for these meanings.
Example Sentences
To express "young" as an adjective use 小
To say "seldom" or "rarely", use 少
Pattern
（很）少 + Verb Phrase
Example Sentences
Sources and further reading
Websites
- "小" 和 "少" 和有什么不一样? (HiNative)
- 少和小有什么区别? (百度知道)
