What is the Kanji for "Few"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Few", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Few" is "少".

This kanji has 3 readings:

Its kunyomi readings are "Suku" and "Suko".

Its onyomi reading is "Shou".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The kanji "小" means "Small" and can be read as "Chii", "Shou", and "Ko". And The radical "丿" means "Katakana no" .

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "少" mean in japanese?

"少" means "Few".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Second Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N4 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

少し: "A little" or "Somewhat". The adverb '少し (すこし)' means 'a little' or 'somewhat'. It is used to indicate a small or moderate amount or degree of something. For example: I'm a little tired - (私は少し疲れています). She's somewhat busy today - (彼女は今日は少し忙しいです).

少ない: "Few". The Japanese adjective '少ない (すくない)' means 'few'. This adjective is used to describe a small or insufficient quantity or number of something. It can be applied to countable nouns like people, objects, etc. For example: There are few people in the park - (公園には人が少ない). I have few books - (私は本が少ない).

少しも: "Not at all". The Japanese adverb '少しも (すこしも)' means 'not at all'. It is used to intensify the negation of something, implying that there is absolutely no amount or degree of whatever is being negated. For example: I am not tired at all - (私はまったく疲れていない). He didn't understand it at all - (彼はまったく理解できなかった)

少々: "A little". The adverb '少々 (しょうしょう)' means 'a little'. It is used to indicate a small amount or degree of something. It can be used with verbs, adjectives, and nouns to express a modest or moderate quantity. For example: I'll wait a little - (少々待つ). He's a little cold - (少々寒い). Just a little salt please - (少々塩を下さい).

少年: "Boy". The Japanese noun '少年 (しょうねん)' refers to a young male, a boy. It is used to describe a male child or adolescent. The term carries a sense of youth and innocence, and is often used in contexts involving children, education, or coming of age. For example: The young boy played happily - (少年は楽しく遊んでいました). The little boy cried - (少年は泣きました).

少女: "Girl". The Japanese noun '少女 (しょうじょ)' means 'girl'. This word is used to refer to a young female, typically a young woman or teenage girl. It can be used to describe a child or adolescent female and has a connotation of youthfulness and innocence. For example: The little girl played in the park - (少女が公園で遊んでいた). She is a very sweet little girl - (彼女はとてもかわいい少女です).

少なくとも: "At least". The Japanese adverb '少なくとも (すくなくとも)' means 'at least'. It is used to indicate that a particular quantity or degree is the minimum or smallest amount possible. This adverb is often used to set a lower bound or threshold for something. For example: I will need at least 10 pens - (少なくとも10本のペンが必要だ). You should arrive at least 30 minutes early - (少なくとも30分前に到着するべきだ).

少量: "Small amount". The noun '少量 (しょうりょう)' means 'small amount'. It is used to describe a relatively small quantity of something. This word can be used to refer to small portions, servings, or quantities of physical items, as well as abstract concepts. For example: I only need a small amount of sugar - (少量の砂糖でいいです). The restaurant serves a small amount of food - (その店は少量の料理を出します).

減少: "Decrease". The Japanese verbal noun '減少 (げんしょう)' means 'decrease'. This noun refers to a reduction or lessening of something, such as the amount, number, or intensity of an object or phenomenon. It can be used to describe a decline in population, sales, or any measurable quantity. For example: The number of customers has decreased - (客の数が減少した). There has been a decrease in prices - (価格が減少した).

少数: "Minority". The noun '少数 (しょうすう)' means 'minority'. It refers to a small number or proportion of people or things in comparison to the larger whole. It can be used to describe a small group within a larger population, such as a racial, religious, or political minority. For example: The minority population in the city is growing - (その都市の少数派の人口が増えている). The minority shareholders were outvoted - (少数株主は反対票を押されてしまった).

多少: "Somewhat" or "A little". The Japanese adverb '多少 (たしょう)' means 'somewhat' or 'a little'. It is used to indicate that something is done or occurs to a moderate degree, rather than to a large or small extent. For example: I feel somewhat tired - (多少疲れています). The food was a little too salty - (多少塩辛かった).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "し" is read as "shi". The hiragana "う" is read as "u". The hiragana "す" is read as "su". The hiragana "く" is read as "ku". And The hiragana "こ" is read as "ko".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.