少

See also: 𣥂

少	U+5C11, 少 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5C11

← 尐
[U+5C10]

CJK Unified Ideographs

尒 →
[U+5C12]

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Alternative forms

Note that in Japanese Kanji, Korean Hanja and Vietnamese Nom, the middle stroke of the top component 小 is written 亅 with a hook whereas in modern Chinese scripts the middle stroke is written 丨 with no downward hook.

Han character

少 (Kangxi radical 42, 小+1, 4 strokes, cangjie input 火竹 (FH), four-corner 9020₀, composition ⿱𡭔丿(GT) or ⿱小丿(HJKV))

Derived characters

𠃣, 仯, 吵, 妙, 㠺, 抄, 沙, 䏚, 杪, 炒, 玅, 眇, 砂, 秒, 竗, 𡭱, 粆, 紗(纱), 耖, 䖢, 觘, 訬, 赻, 䟞, 𨈘, 鈔(钞), 𡮓, 𡮘, 䩖, 𩖥, 𩚙, 𩡾, 尟, 尠, 𩨡, 𩲎, 㝺, 𡮞, 魦(𫚌), 麨(𪎊), 㝻, 𡮩, 𡮳, 𡮹
𠚺, 𨙹, 𣢒, 𬆠, 𨚈, 𨤢, 𪨄, 𡵯, 䒚, 𠀰, 䯯, 歩, 𣲦, 劣, 毟, 省, 𡭲, 𡭺, 雀, 㝹, 𡮯, 䲵
隲, 蠽, 𡂌, 𡮗, 𣻾

References

KangXi: page 296, character 20
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 7475
Dae Jaweon: page 590, character 2
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 561, character 2
Unihan data for U+5C11

Chinese

simp. and trad.		少

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 少
Shang
Oracle bone script

Characters in the same phonetic series (小) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
觘	sm̥ʰreːw, sm̥ʰreːws
抄	sm̥ʰreːw, sm̥ʰreːws
鈔	sm̥ʰreːw, sm̥ʰreːws
訬	sm̥ʰreːw, mewʔ
炒	*sʰroːʔ
吵	sm̥ʰreːwʔ, mewʔ
耖	*sm̥ʰreːws
仯	*sm̥ʰreːws
眇	*mewʔ
渺	*mewʔ
杪	*mewʔ
秒	*mewʔ
篎	mewʔ, mews
妙	*mews
玅	*mews
釥	*sm̥ʰewʔ
小	*smewʔ
少	hmjewʔ, hmjews
麨	*m̥ʰjewʔ
尠	senʔ, smos

Pictogram (象形) – four dots; few; little. Compare 小 (OC *smewʔ, “small”), which is depicted by three dots.

Pronunciation 1

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): shǎo (shao³)
(Zhuyin): ㄕㄠˇ
(Chengdu, SP): sao⁴
(Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): шо (šo, II)
Cantonese
(Guangzhou, Jyutping): siu²
(Taishan, Wiktionary): siau²
Gan (Wiktionary): seu³
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): séu
(Meixian, Guangdong): sau³
Jin (Wiktionary): sau²
Min Bei (KCR): siǎu
Min Dong (BUC): ciēu / siēu
Min Nan
(Hokkien, POJ): chió / siáu
(Teochew, Peng'im): ziê² / zio²
Wu (Wiktionary): sau (T2)
Xiang (Wiktionary): sau³

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: shǎo
  - Zhuyin: ㄕㄠˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: shǎo
  - Wade–Giles: shao³
  - Yale: shǎu
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shao
  - Palladius: шао (šao)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂɑʊ̯²¹⁴/
- (Chengdu)
  - Sichuanese Pinyin: sao⁴
  - Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: sao
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sau²¹³/
- (Dungan)
  - Cyrillic and Wiktionary: шо (šo, II)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂɔ⁵¹/
  (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: siu²
  - Yale: síu
  - Cantonese Pinyin: siu²
  - Guangdong Romanization: xiu²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /siːu̯³⁵/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: siau²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /siau⁵⁵/
Gan
- (Nanchang)
  - Wiktionary: seu³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɛu²¹³/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: séu
  - Hakka Romanization System: seu`
  - Hagfa Pinyim: seu³
  - Sinological IPA: /seu̯³¹/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: sau³
  - Sinological IPA: /sau³¹/
Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: sau²
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /sau⁵³/
Min Bei
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: siǎu
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /siau²¹/
Min Dong
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: ciēu / siēu
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sieu³³/, /sieu³³/

Note:

ciēu - colloquial;
siēu - literary.

Min Nan
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chió / siáu
  - Tâi-lô: tsió / siáu
  - Phofsit Daibuun: cioir, siao
  - IPA (Xiamen): /t͡ɕio⁵³/, /ɕiau⁵³/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡ɕio⁵⁵⁴/, /ɕiau⁵⁵⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡ɕio⁵³/, /ɕiau⁵³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /t͡ɕio⁵³/, /ɕiau⁵³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡ɕiɤ⁴¹/, /ɕiau⁴¹/

Note:

chió - vernacular;
siáu - literary.

- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: ziê² / zio²
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tsié / tsió
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sie⁵²/, /t͡sio⁵²/

Note:

ziê2 - Chaozhou, vernacular;
zio2 - Shantou, vernacular.

Wu
- (Shanghainese)
  - Wiktionary: sau (T2)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɔ³⁴/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: sau³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɒu⁴¹/

Middle Chinese: /ɕiᴇu^X/

Rime
Character	少
Reading #	1/2
Initial (聲)	書 (26)
Final (韻)	宵 (91)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	書沼切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɕiᴇu^X/
Pan Wuyun	/ɕiɛu^X/
Shao Rongfen	/ɕjæu^X/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɕiaw^X/
Li Rong	/ɕiɛu^X/
Wang Li	/ɕĭɛu^X/
Bernard Karlgren	/ɕi̯ɛu^X/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	shǎo
Expected Cantonese Reflex	siu²

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*[s.t]ewʔ/
(Zhengzhang): /*hmjewʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	少
Reading #	1/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	shǎo
Middle Chinese	‹ syew^X ›
Old Chinese	/*[s.t]ewʔ/
English	few
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	少
Reading #	1/2
No.	13706
Phonetic component	小
Rime group	宵
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	少
Old Chinese	/*hmjewʔ/
Notes	小轉註字

Definitions

少

few; little in number; less; not many
很少人知道實情。／很少人知道实情。 ― Hěn shǎo rén zhīdào shíqíng. ― Very few people know the truth.
只有很少麵包和餅乾。 [MSC, trad.]
只有很少面包和饼干。 [MSC, simp.]
Zhǐyǒu hěn shǎo miànbāo hé bǐnggān. [Pinyin]
There is only very little bread and biscuits.
weak; inadequate; insufficient
^† Alternative form of 小 (xiǎo, “small; tiny”).
to lack; to be short of; to be deficient
臥室裡少一隻電燈泡。 [MSC, trad.]
卧室里少一只电灯泡。 [MSC, simp.]
Wòshì lǐ shǎo yī zhī diàndēngpào. [Pinyin]
There's a light bulb missing in the bedroom.
少咗碗飯／少咗碗饭 [Cantonese] ― siu² zo² wun² faan⁶ [Jyutping] ― missing a bowl of rice
裝少咗兩粒螺絲 [Cantonese, trad.]
装少咗两粒螺丝 [Cantonese, simp.]
zong¹ siu² zo² loeng⁵ lap¹ lo⁴ si¹ [Jyutping]
forgot to install two screws
to reduce (the amount or extent); to weaken; to lose; to stop; to cease
他屋裡少了東西。／他屋里少了东西。 ― Tā wū lǐ shǎo le dōngxi. ― He lost something in his house.
少說廢話！／少说废话！ ― Shǎo shuō fèihuà! ― Stop chattering!
^† to despise; to look down; to belittle
slightly; moderately; a little; a bit
seldom; rarely; infrequently
懶惰的人很少會成功。 [MSC, trad.]
懒惰的人很少会成功。 [MSC, simp.]
Lǎnduò de rén hěn shǎo huì chénggōng. [Pinyin]
Lazy people seldom succeed.
in a little while; in a moment
5th tetragram of the Taixuanjing (𝌊)

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 少 (“few; little in number”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		少
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		少
Mandarin	Beijing	少
	Taiwan	少
	Jinan	少
	Xi'an	少
	Wuhan	少
	Chengdu	少
	Yangzhou	少
	Hefei	少
Cantonese	Guangzhou	少
	Hong Kong	少
	Yangjiang	少
Gan	Nanchang	少
Hakka	Meixian	少
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	少
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	少
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	少
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	少
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	少
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	少
Jin	Taiyuan	少
Min Bei	Jian'ou	少
Min Dong	Fuzhou	少
Min Nan	Xiamen	少
Min Nan	Chaozhou	少
Wu	Suzhou	少
	Ningbo	缺
	Wenzhou	少
Xiang	Changsha	少
Xiang	Shuangfeng	少

Antonyms

(few): 多 (duō)

Compounds

Derived terms from 少

不多不少
不少 (bùshǎo)
僧多粥少 (sēngduōzhōushǎo)
古今少有
多共少
多多少少 (duōduōshǎoshǎo)
多少 (duōshao)
多少是好
少一缺二
少不了 (shàobùliǎo)
少不得
少之又少 (shǎozhīyòushǎo)
少候
少停
少刻 (shǎokè)
少坐
少安勿躁
少安毋躁
少少 (shǎoshǎo)
少差
少待
少心眼
少息 (shǎoxī)
少憩 (shǎoqì)
少懈
少日
少有 (shǎoyǒu)
少歇
少焉
少量 (shǎoliàng)
少陪

少魂失魄
很少 (hěnshǎo)
抵多少
最少 (zuìshǎo)
沉重少言
狼多肉少
短少 (duǎnshǎo)
稀少 (xīshǎo)
粥少僧多
缺少 (quēshǎo)
缺衣少食 (quēyīshǎoshí)
至少 (zhìshǎo)
重厚少文
凶多吉少 (xiōngduōjíshǎo)
多凶少吉
不在少數／不在少数 (bùzàishǎoshù)
以少克眾／以少克众
兵少將微／兵少将微
多退少補／多退少补
寡二少雙／寡二少双
寡恩少義／寡恩少义
寡情少義／寡情少义
寡聞少見／寡闻少见
寡見少聞／寡见少闻
少來／少来 (shǎolái)
少吃無著／少吃无著
少安無躁／少安无躁
少敘／少叙
少數／少数 (shǎoshù)
少數民族／少数民族 (shǎoshù mínzú)
少時／少时 (shǎoshí)

少氣無力／少气无力
少禮／少礼
少私寡慾／少私寡欲
少管閒事／少管闲事 (shǎoguǎnxiánshì)
少見／少见 (shǎojiàn)
少見多怪／少见多怪 (shǎojiànduōguài)
少親失眷／少亲失眷
少言寡語／少言寡语 (shǎoyánguǎyǔ)
少許／少许 (shǎoxǔ)
少調失教／少调失教
少間／少间
少頃／少顷 (shǎoqǐng)
少頭無尾／少头无尾
少魂沒識／少魂没识
會少離多／会少离多
沉靜少言／沉静少言
沒多少／没多少
沒魂少智／没魂少智
減少／减少 (jiǎnshǎo)
疏謀少略／疏谋少略
眾少不敵／众少不敌
眾少成多／众少成多
積少成多／积少成多 (jīshǎochéngduō)
絕甘分少／绝甘分少
缺斤少兩／缺斤少两 (quējīnshǎoliǎng)
花多實少／花多实少
虛多實少／虚多实少
辭多受少／辞多受少
食少事煩／食少事烦
鮮少／鲜少 (xiǎnshǎo)

Pronunciation 2

Mandarin
(Pinyin): shào (shao⁴)
(Zhuyin): ㄕㄠˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): siu³
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): seu
(Meixian, Guangdong): sau⁴
Min Dong (BUC): siéu
Min Nan
(Hokkien, POJ): siàu
(Teochew, Peng'im): siao³
Wu (Wiktionary): sau (T2)
Xiang (Wiktionary): sau⁴

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: shào
  - Zhuyin: ㄕㄠˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: shào
  - Wade–Giles: shao⁴
  - Yale: shàu
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shaw
  - Palladius: шао (šao)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: siu³
  - Yale: siu
  - Cantonese Pinyin: siu³
  - Guangdong Romanization: xiu³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /siːu̯³³/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: seu
  - Hakka Romanization System: seu
  - Hagfa Pinyim: seu⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /seu̯⁵⁵/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: sau⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /sau⁵³/
Min Dong
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: siéu
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /siɛu²¹³/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siàu
  - Tâi-lô: siàu
  - Phofsit Daibuun: siaux
  - IPA (Xiamen): /ɕiau²¹/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /ɕiau⁴¹/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /ɕiau²¹/
  - IPA (Taipei): /ɕiau¹¹/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɕiau²¹/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: siao³
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: siàu
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /siau²¹³/
Wu
- (Shanghainese)
  - Wiktionary: sau (T2)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɔ³⁴/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: sau⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɒu⁴⁵/

Middle Chinese: /ɕiᴇu^H/

Rime
Character	少
Reading #	2/2
Initial (聲)	書 (26)
Final (韻)	宵 (91)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	失照切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɕiᴇu^H/
Pan Wuyun	/ɕiɛu^H/
Shao Rongfen	/ɕjæu^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɕiaw^H/
Li Rong	/ɕiɛu^H/
Wang Li	/ɕĭɛu^H/
Bernard Karlgren	/ɕi̯ɛu^H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	shào
Expected Cantonese Reflex	siu³

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*[s-t]ewʔ-s/
(Zhengzhang): /*hmjews/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	少
Reading #	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	shào
Middle Chinese	‹ syew^H ›
Old Chinese	/*[s-t]ewʔ-s/
English	young
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	少
Reading #	2/2
No.	13708
Phonetic component	小
Rime group	宵
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	少
Old Chinese	/*hmjews/

Definitions

少

young; youthful; juvenile
別看她歲數大，可長得少相。 [MSC, trad.]
别看她岁数大，可长得少相。 [MSC, simp.]
Bié kàn tā suìshù dà, kě zhǎng dé shào xiàng. [Pinyin]
Despite her age, she still looked young.
later in a sequence; younger; youngest
childhood; youth; young period
- 少小離家老大回 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  少小离家老大回 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: He Zhizhang
  shào xiǎo lí jiā lǎo dà huí [Pinyin]
  Leaving home young, returning home old
young man; youngster; junior
(historical) deputy; assistant
(historical) young master of a rich family
二少 [Cantonese] ― ji⁶ siu³ [Jyutping] ― second young master
a surname

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 年輕 (“young”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		少
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		年輕
Mandarin	Beijing	年輕
	Taiwan	年輕
	Jinan	年輕
	Luoyang	年輕
	Xi'an	年輕
	Wuhan	年輕
	Chengdu	年輕
	Liuzhou	後生
	Yangzhou	年輕
	Hefei	年輕
	Malaysia	年輕
	Singapore	年輕
Cantonese	Guangzhou	後生, 年紀嫩, 年青
	Hong Kong	後生, 年青, 年輕
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	後生
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)	後生
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	後生
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	後生
	Macau	後生
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	後生
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	後生
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	後生
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	後生
	Foshan	後生
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	後生
	Foshan (Shunde)	後生
	Foshan (Sanshui)	後生
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	年嫩
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	後生
	Zhuhai (Qianshan)	後生
	Zhuhai (Doumen, Shangheng Tanka)	後生
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	後生
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	後生
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	後生
	Taishan	後生
	Kaiping (Chikan)	後生
	Enping (Niujiang)	後生
	Heshan (Yayao)	後生
	Dongguan	後生
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	後生
	Yangjiang	後生
	Danzhou	嫩
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	後生
	Singapore (Guangfu)	後生
Gan	Nanchang	年輕, 後生
	Lichuan	年輕, 後生
	Pingxiang	後生
Hakka	Meixian	後生
	Xingning	後生
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	後生
	Huidong (Daling)	後生
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	後生
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	後生
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	後生
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	後生
	Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang)	後生
	Conghua (Lütian)	後生
	Changting	後生
	Wuping	後生
	Wuping (Pingyu)	後生
	Liancheng	後生
	Ninghua	後生
	Ruijin	後生
	Shicheng	後生
	Shangyou (Shexi)	後生
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	後生
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	後生
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	後生
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	後生
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	後生
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	少年
	Hong Kong	後生
	Senai (Huiyang)	後生
	Singkawang	後生
Huizhou	Jixi	後生
Jin	Taiyuan	年輕
Min Bei	Jian'ou	後生
	Jianyang	後生
	Pucheng (Shibei)	後生
Min Dong	Fuzhou	後生
	Fuqing	後生
	Matsu	後生, 年輕
	Singapore (Fuqing)	年輕
Min Nan	Xiamen	少年
	Xiamen (Tong'an)	少年
	Quanzhou	少年
	Zhangzhou	少年
	Zhao'an	後生
	Taipei	少年
	Kaohsiung	少年
	Yilan	少年
	Changhua (Lukang)	少年
	Taichung	少年
	Taichung (Wuqi)	少年
	Tainan	少年
	Taitung	少年
	Hsinchu	少年
	Kinmen	少年
	Penghu (Magong)	少年
	Penang (Hokkien)	少年
	Singapore (Hokkien)	少年, 後生
	Manila (Hokkien)	少年, 少歲, 後生
	Zhangping (Yongfu)	少年, 後生仔
	Datian	後生
	Chaozhou	後生
	Shantou	後生
	Shantou (Chenghai)	後生
	Jieyang	後生
	Bangkok (Teochew)	後生
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	後生
	Singapore (Teochew)	後生
	Leizhou	後生
	Wenchang	幼, 年青
	Haikou	幼
	Singapore (Hainanese)	幼
Zhongshan Min	Shaxi (Longdu)	後生
Wu	Shanghai	年輕, 後生
	Suzhou	年紀輕
	Hangzhou	後生
	Ningbo	後生, 年紀輕
	Wenzhou	後生
Xiang	Changsha	冒年紀, 年輕
Xiang	Shuangfeng	冒年紀

Compounds

Derived terms from 少

不多不少
不少 (bùshǎo)
僧多粥少 (sēngduōzhōushǎo)
古今少有
多共少
多多少少 (duōduōshǎoshǎo)
多少 (duōshao)
多少是好
少一缺二
少不了 (shàobùliǎo)
少不得
少候
少停
少刻 (shǎokè)
少坐
少女 (shàonǚ)
少安勿躁
少安毋躁
少少 (shǎoshǎo)
少差
少年 (shàonián)
少待
少心眼
少息 (shǎoxī)
少憩 (shǎoqì)
少懈
少日
少有 (shǎoyǒu)
少歇
少焉
少量 (shǎoliàng)

少陪
少魂失魄
抵多少
最少 (zuìshǎo)
沉重少言
狼多肉少
短少 (duǎnshǎo)
稀少 (xīshǎo)
粥少僧多
缺少 (quēshǎo)
缺衣少食 (quēyīshǎoshí)
至少 (zhìshǎo)
重厚少文
凶多吉少 (xiōngduōjíshǎo)
多凶少吉
不在少數／不在少数 (bùzàishǎoshù)
以少克眾／以少克众
兵少將微／兵少将微
多退少補／多退少补
寡二少雙／寡二少双
寡恩少義／寡恩少义
寡情少義／寡情少义
寡聞少見／寡闻少见
寡見少聞／寡见少闻
少來／少来 (shǎolái)
少吃無著／少吃无著
少安無躁／少安无躁
少敘／少叙
少數／少数 (shǎoshù)
少數民族／少数民族 (shǎoshù mínzú)

少時／少时 (shǎoshí)
少氣無力／少气无力
少禮／少礼
少私寡慾／少私寡欲
少管閒事／少管闲事 (shǎoguǎnxiánshì)
少見／少见 (shǎojiàn)
少見多怪／少见多怪 (shǎojiànduōguài)
少親失眷／少亲失眷
少許／少许 (shǎoxǔ)
少調失教／少调失教
少間／少间
少頃／少顷 (shǎoqǐng)
少頭無尾／少头无尾
少魂沒識／少魂没识
會少離多／会少离多
沉靜少言／沉静少言
沒多少／没多少
沒魂少智／没魂少智
減少／减少 (jiǎnshǎo)
疏謀少略／疏谋少略
眾少不敵／众少不敌
眾少成多／众少成多
積少成多／积少成多 (jīshǎochéngduō)
絕甘分少／绝甘分少
缺斤少兩／缺斤少两 (quējīnshǎoliǎng)
花多實少／花多实少
虛多實少／虚多实少
辭多受少／辞多受少
食少事煩／食少事烦
鮮少／鲜少 (xiǎnshǎo)

Japanese

Kanji

少

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. A little, just a little.

Readings

Go-on: しょう (shō, Jōyō)^{←せう (seu, historical)}
Kan-on: しょう (shō, Jōyō)^{←せう (seu, historical)}
Kun: すくない (sukunai, 少ない, Jōyō); すこし (sukoshi, 少し, Jōyō); しばらく (shibaraku, 少く)

Compounds

少女(しょうじょ) (shōjo)
少年(しょうねん) (shōnen)
少少(しょうしょう) (shōshō), 少々(しょうしょう) (shōshō)

Korean

Hanja

少 (eumhun 적을 소 (jeogeul so))

Hanja form^? of 소 (“(to be) little; (to be) few”).

Vietnamese

Han character

少: Hán Việt readings: thiếu[1][2][3][4][5][6], thiểu[1][2][3][4][5][6]
少: Nôm readings: thiếu[1][2][3], thiểu[1][2][3], thểu[2], thỉu[2], thẹo[3], thẻo[3], ít[2]

chữ Hán form of thiếu (“lack, short on”).
Nôm form of ít (“few, little”).
Nôm form of thẹo (“scar”).

References

Nguyễn (2014).
Nguyễn et al. (2009).
Trần (2004).
Trần (1999).
Nguyễn (1974).
Thiều Chửu (1942).

[tdcndg-1] Nguyễn (2014).

[tdcntd-2] Nguyễn et al. (2009).

[gdhn-3] Trần (2004).

[tvctdhv-4] Trần (1999).

[hvttd-5] Nguyễn (1974).

[tchvtd-6] Thiều Chửu (1942).