Comparing "shao" and "xiao"
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
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
- 小狗 small dog
Example Sentences
- 我 有 一 只 小狗。
- 这里 有 一 个 小孩儿。
- 这 是 一 个 小 问题。
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
- 雨很小，不用带伞。
- 声音太小了，我听不到。
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
- 我比你小两岁。
- 她喜欢比她大的男孩。
- 你妹妹还很小吧？
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
- 人很少
Obviously, you can't use 小 for these meanings.
Example Sentences
- 我的钱太少了。
- 今天来的人很少。
- 我的朋友很少。
To say "seldom" or "rarely", use 少
Pattern
（很）少 + Verb Phrase
Example Sentences
- 最近我很少出去。
- 他很少吃肉。
- 老板很少生气。
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)
