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
- 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)
