少 – Kanji Meaning, Reading, and Common Words

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What does 少 mean in Japanese?

少 means few or little in Japanese. It gives you 少し (sukoshi, a little), one of the most useful words in the entire language, and 少ない (sukunai, few), the natural opposite of 多い (many).

少 has two main readings. Read it as すこし (sukoshi) for ‘a little’ and すくない (sukunai) in the adjective 少ない, and as ショウ (shou) in compounds such as 少年 (shounen, boy) and 少々 (shoushou, a little, polite). You will hear 少々お待ちください (please wait a moment) in shops and phone calls all over Japan.

Reading

On’yomi: ショウ (shou)

Kun’yomi: すく-ない (suku-nai), すこ-し (suko-shi)

Basic Information

Kanji 少
Meaning few, little
Stroke Count 4
JLPT Level N4

How to Understand This Kanji

少 has two everyday faces: 少し is an adverb meaning ‘a little,’ while 少ない is an adjective meaning ‘few’ or ‘scarce.’ Learners need both, and they are not interchangeable. In compounds read as ショウ, 少 often relates to youth, as in 少年 (boy) and 少女 (girl), which helps explain why those words literally combine ‘few years’ with person words.

Common Words

  • 少し（すこし / sukoshi） — a little, a bit
  • 少ない（すくない / sukunai） — few, scarce
  • 少々（しょうしょう / shoushou） — a little, a moment (polite)
  • 少年（しょうねん / shounen） — boy, youth
  • 少女（しょうじょ / shoujo） — girl
  • 多少（たしょう / tashou） — somewhat, more or less

Example Sentences

  • 少し日本語が話せます。

    すこしにほんごがはなせます。 / Sukoshi nihongo ga hanasemasu.

    I can speak a little Japanese.

  • この店は客が少ないです。

    このみせはきゃくがすくないです。 / Kono mise wa kyaku ga sukunai desu.

    This store has few customers.

  • 少々お待ちください。

    しょうしょうおまちください。 / Shoushou omachi kudasai.

    Please wait a moment.

Related Kanji

  • 多

    — 多 means many, the direct opposite of 少; together they form 多少 (somewhat) and the fundamental contrast between many and few.

  • 小

    — 小 means small and looks very similar to 少; comparing 小さい (small in size) with 少ない (few in number) clears up one of the most common beginner confusions.

  • 年

    — 年 means year, and 少年 (boy) literally combines ‘few’ and ‘years’; it is a memorable example of the youth sense of 少.

When Learners Usually See This Kanji

少し is one of the first survival words: 少し分かります (I understand a little) softens any conversation. The polite set phrase 少々お待ちください (please wait a moment) is heard constantly in customer service. Fans of manga and anime already know ショウ from 少年 and 少女, the names of entire genres. 多少 (tashou, somewhat) pairs 少 with its opposite 多 in a single word.

Summary

少 means few or little and powers the essential words 少し and 少ない, along with the polite phrase 少々お待ちください and youth words like 少年.