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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "few" in Chinese?
很少
hěn shǎo
In Chinese, "few" is 很少 (hěn shǎo).
Listen to the pronunciation:
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Pronunciation
This word sounds like "hěn shǎo" — "hěn" is dipping down and curling back up (tone 3), then "shǎo" is dipping down and curling back up (tone 3).
Writing and usage
很少 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
只有少数几个人来了。
zhǐ yǒu shǎo shù jǐ gè rén lái le 。
Only a few people showed up.
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How to remember 很少
Break "很少" (hěn shǎo) into "hěn shǎo" and repeat it slowly a few times until the rhythm sticks in your ear.
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 很少
How do you pronounce 很少?
This word sounds like "hěn shǎo" — "hěn" is dipping down and curling back up (tone 3), then "shǎo" is dipping down and curling back up (tone 3).
Is 很少 formal or casual?
很少 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 很少 used in Chinese?
很少 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 只有少数几个人来了。 (Only a few people showed up.).
Where can I practice Chinese words for free?
You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Few" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
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