少 shǎo
“few; less; to lack”
adjective, adverbial adjective, verb, adverbHSK 1 · 2021 list level 1
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
少 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 180: 少 shǎo — Level 1; official annotation 1 (形、动). PDF page 84
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 少
少 (shǎo) means 'few, little, less' and describes a small quantity; it is the opposite of 多. As an adjective it usually appears as a predicate, often with 很 (人很少, 钱很少), or in fixed quantity words like 少数/少量; it does not freely take a direct noun object in this adjective sense. It can also be a verb 'to be short of/be missing' (少了一个人); the separate reading shào means 'young' (as in 少年) and is not the sense here.
例句Example sentences
- 这里的人很少。zhè lǐ de rén hěn shǎo.There are very few people here.
- 我的钱很少。wǒ de qián hěn shǎo.I have very little money.
- 今天学生少。jīn tiān xué sheng shǎo.There are few students today.
易混词Easily confused
少vs小
少 (few, small in quantity) is often confused with 小 (small in size); 少 is about amount, 小 is about size.
深度指南Grammar & comparison guides
义项All meanings
- shǎo: few; less; to lack; to be missing; to stop (doing sth); seldom
- shào: young