ChiramiN5 kanji · 3 strokes
小 means small
小
小Real origin
It began as three tiny dots, like grains of sand: small.
Real origin: where the kanji comes from, as far as scholars agree.
Meaning and readings
- Meanings
- little, small
- JLPT level
- N5
- Strokes
- 3
- School grade
- Grade 1 in Japan
Japanese (kunyomi) ちいさい chiisai
ちいさい (chiisai) is the Japanese word for this kanji. You use it when the kanji stands alone or has kana after it. Dictionaries call this the kun reading.
From Chinese (onyomi) ショウ shou
ショウ (shou) came from Chinese with the character. You mostly hear it in words made of several kanji. Dictionaries call this the on reading.
Tap a reading to see when it's used. Why kanji have two kinds of reading: onyomi vs kunyomi.
Common word
小さい ちいさい · chiisai
small, little
Used in 128 kanji
See all 6 at N5 and N4⺌ Used in 37 kanji
See all 3 at N5 and N4Quick check
What does 小 mean?
Right: 小 means small.Not quite: 小 means small.In 小さい, which reading does 小 use?
Right. 小さい is read ちいさい (chiisai): 小 takes ちい, its Japanese reading, with さい after it.Not quite. 小さい is read ちいさい (chiisai): 小 takes ちい, its Japanese reading, with さい after it.