How to say “small” in Chinese
small
“Small” in Chinese is 小, xiǎo: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
小 is read xiǎo. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “小”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 小. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 她的孩子上小学tādeháizishàngxiǎoxuéHer child goes to elementary school.
- 我从小喜欢猫wǒcóngxiǎoxǐhuanmāoI’ve loved cats since I was little.
- 这只小猫真可爱zhèzhīxiǎomāozhēnkě’àiWhat a cute kitten!
- 小区附近有一家超市xiǎoqūfùjìnyǒuyìjiāchāoshìThere's a supermarket near the complex.
- 我们小区很安静。wǒmenxiǎoqūhěnānjìngOur complex is quiet.
- 这件衬衫大小很合适zhèjiànchènshāndàxiǎohěnhéshìThis shirt is just the right size.
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “How old are you?”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “small” in Chinese?
“Small” in Chinese is 小, pinyin xiǎo.
What does 小 mean?
小 (xiǎo) means “small”.
How do you write 小?
小 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 小?
小 is read xiǎo. Tones: xiǎo — third tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“small” in the lesson “How old are you?”
This word is from the topic “Family and people” of HSK 1. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free