小 is the character for “small” . It is made out of 3 strokes.
| Chinese Character | Simplified Version | Bopomofo | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 小 | 小 | ㄒㄧㄠˇ | Xiǎo |
Definition
Small; tiny; few; young
Historical Origins
The character 小 is an ideographic character originating from the oracle bone script, where it was represented by three small dots. Over time, as seen in bronze inscriptions, these dots evolved into elongated forms. According to some theories, the Shuowen dictionary inaccurately interpreted it as a combination of the characters 八 (“separate”) and 丨 (“small object”).
Vocabulary with the Character 小
| Chinese | Bopomofo | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 小孩 | ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄏㄞˊ | xiǎohái | Child |
| 小心 | ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄒㄧㄣ | xiǎoxīn | Be Careful |
| 小說 | ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄕㄨㄛˋ | xiǎoshuō | Novel; Fiction |
| 小時候 | ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄕˊ ㄏㄡˋ | xiǎo shíhou | Childhood |
| 小狗 | ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄍㄡˇ | xiǎogǒu | Puppy |
| 小時 | ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄕˊ | xiǎoshí | Hour; Time |
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