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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "small" in Chinese?
小
xiǎo
In Chinese, "small" is 小.
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Pronunciation
Pronounced 'shyao' with rising tone, pitch ascends, a diminutive sound that matches the meaning.
Writing and usage
A single character with 3 strokes, similar in simplicity to big but shaped differently, one of the most basic Hanzi characters.
Example sentence
这只猫很小。
This cat is very small.
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How to remember 小
This character appears in many compound words related to smallness and youth.
Related words
- eighty-four 八十四 bā shí sì
- light rain 小雨 xiǎo yǔ
- ninety-eight 九十八 jiǔ shí bā
- ninety-seven 九十七 jiǔ shí qī
- rainstorm 暴风雨 bào fēng yǔ
- sick 生病 shēngbìng
- thirty-nine 三十九 sān shí jiǔ
- twenty-five 二十五 èr shí wǔ
- yellow 黄 huáng
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 小
How do you say "small" in Chinese?
In Chinese, "small" is 小. It is a noun.
How is 小 written in Chinese?
A single character with 3 strokes, similar in simplicity to big but shaped differently, one of the most basic Hanzi characters.
How is 小 used in a sentence?
Use 小 as you would use the equivalent noun in English. For example: 这只猫很小。 (This cat is very small.).
Where can I practice Chinese words for free?
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"Small" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
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