The character 小 — “small”: how to write it and what it means
small
The Chinese character 小 is read xiǎo and means “small”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 小
小 has 3 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 小, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
Words with 小
- 小时hour (duration)HSK 1
- 小学elementary schoolHSK 1
- 小朋友little kidHSK 1
- 小学生elementary studentHSK 1
- 从小since childhoodHSK 2
- 小孩儿child, kidHSK 2
- 小时候in childhoodHSK 2
- 小区residential complexHSK 3
- 大小sizeHSK 3
- 小心careful; be carefulHSK 3
- 小吃snacks, street foodHSK 4
- 小说novel, fictionHSK 4
- 小组group, clubHSK 4
- 小伙子young man, guyHSK 4
- 小型small, compactHSK 5
- 小姐miss (form of address)HSK 5
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 小?
小 has 3 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 小 mean?
小 means “small”. It appears in 小时 (“hour”), 小学 (“elementary school”), 小朋友 (“little kid”), 小学生 (“elementary student”).
How do you pronounce 小?
小 is read xiǎo. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 小 have?
3 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 小 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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