小

xiǎo

Pinyin
xiǎo
Pinyin (Plain)
xiao
Tone
3
Strokes
3
Radical
小
Readings
xiǎoxiaoTone: 3small; tiny; few; youngOrder: 0Primary
Stroke Order Code
Speed
Stroke Order Data
["M 499 695 Q 503 661 501 132 Q 500 110 488 101 Q 478 92 448 100 Q 414 107 383 113 Q 347 123 351 112 Q 352 105 375 91 Q 456 42 479 10 Q 504 -26 523 -25 Q 538 -26 552 11 Q 568 57 564 133 Q 531 583 572 723 Q 590 754 532 778 Q 498 797 477 789 Q 459 782 475 759 Q 497 731 499 695 Z", "M 266 475 Q 223 408 170 349 Q 160 339 155 320 Q 148 292 154 273 Q 158 251 185 261 Q 213 274 237 308 Q 273 357 284 404 Q 297 441 293 470 Q 289 480 283 484 Q 273 484 266 475 Z", "M 706 472 Q 769 411 842 323 Q 860 299 878 293 Q 888 292 897 303 Q 913 318 900 370 Q 887 431 709 508 Q 699 515 696 500 Q 695 484 706 472 Z"]
Meaning
The Chinese character “小” mainly means “small; little” in size, amount, or degree (the opposite of 大 “big”). It can also be used more broadly to mean “young” or “less important” in certain contexts (for example, 小王 = “young/Junior Wang”).
Metadata
Locale: en
Cached At: 3/24/2026, 7:17:57 PM

Usage

The character 小 (xiǎo) most commonly means “small” or “little,” and learners first see it as a basic descriptive adjective: 小猫 (xiǎomāo, “kitten; small cat”), 小房子 (xiǎo fángzi, “small house”), 小孩子 (xiǎo háizi, “little kid”). It’s also widely used in everyday phrases like 小心 (xiǎoxīn, “be careful”), 小学 (xiǎoxué, “primary school”), and 小时候 (xiǎo shíhou, “when [someone] was little”). In speech, it can soften tone or show modesty and affection, as in 小问题 (“a small problem,” implying it’s not serious) or 小意思 (“just a small token,” when giving a gift). Learners quickly encounter 小 as a prefix before surnames or names to indicate familiarity or relative youth, especially in Mainland and northern varieties of Mandarin: 小王 (Xiǎo Wáng), 小李 (Xiǎo Lǐ), similar to “young Wang” or “Wang Jr.” but often just meaning “my colleague/friend Wang.” It also appears in set contrasts and patterns that help build vocabulary: 大/小 (big/small), 小/中/大 (small/medium/large), 多少 (duōshǎo, “how many/much,” literally “many–few/small”). Over time, learners see that beyond the literal size meaning, 小 often adds nuances of “minor,” “young,” “short in duration,” or “a bit,” depending on context.

Handwriting Notes

小 is a very simple, compact character that usually looks like a small “trident” or three-pronged shape. In handwriting, it’s composed of a short central vertical element with two shorter diagonal elements spreading down to the left and right. The whole character is visually narrow and slightly taller than it is wide, with the three parts clearly separated so it doesn’t blur into a single blob. In neat handwriting, the central part tends to be the most prominent, and the side strokes feel like small “branches” extending outward and downward. Handwritten forms can vary in how straight or curved those side elements are, how long they are compared with the central one, and how much they tilt. In quick or cursive writing, the three parts may be written in a more flowing motion, making the angles softer and the distances between the parts smaller, but the basic three-pronged structure is still recognizable. Because it’s such a frequent and visually simple character, AI handwriting recognition systems are commonly trained to recognize 小 across many different personal writing styles and levels of neatness.

Description

“小” is a common Chinese character that means “small, little” in size, amount, or degree. It is pronounced xiǎo in Mandarin (third tone) and is often used in everyday words and names, such as 小学 (elementary school) and 小朋友 (children).

Common Words

  • 小xiǎosmall; little; young
  • 小时xiǎoshíhour
  • 小学xiǎoxuéprimary school; elementary school
  • 小学⽣xiǎoxuéshēngprimary school student
  • 小心xiǎoxīnto be careful; cautious
  • 小孩xiǎoháichild; kid
  • 小孩子xiǎoháizichild; kid
  • 小姐xiǎojiěMiss; young lady
  • 小朋友xiǎopéngyǒuchild; kid (friendly term)
  • 小猫xiǎomāokitten
  • 小狗xiǎogǒupuppy
  • 小说xiǎoshuōnovel; fiction
  • 小吃xiǎochīsnack; street food
  • 小菜xiǎocàiside dish; simple dish
  • 小心翼翼xiǎoxīn yìyìwith great care; very cautiously
  • 小型xiǎoxíngsmall-sized; small-scale
  • 小偷xiǎotōuthief; pickpocket
  • 小气xiǎoqìstingy; petty
  • 小事xiǎoshìtrifle; minor matter
  • 小屋xiǎowūcabin; small room; hut
  • 小河xiǎohéstream; small river
  • 小路xiǎolùpath; lane
  • 小鸟xiǎoniǎolittle bird
  • 小组xiǎozǔgroup; small team
  • 小伙子xiǎohuǒziyoung man; lad
  • 小姑娘xiǎogūnianglittle girl; young girl
  • 小同学xiǎo tóngxuélittle classmate; (addressing a child at school)
  • 小企业xiǎo qǐyèsmall enterprise; small business
  • 小事儿xiǎoshìrsmall matter; nothing serious (colloquial)
  • 小学生xiǎoxuéshēngprimary school student
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