小 — how to write the kanji for “little”

小 (“little” and “small”) is a JLPT N5 kanji taught in first grade in Japan. In newspapers it is the 114th most used kanji. KANJIDIC2 gives it 1 on reading and 4 kun readings, so the word decides how you say it. On its own it is the word shou, “smallness; small item”. Read shou, it forms 小選挙区 (“small electoral district”), 小説 (“novel”) and 小学生 (“elementary school student”); the native reading ko- gives 小型 (“small-sized”) and 小島 (“small island”). Chinese reads it xiǎo, “small”, at HSK 1.

Strokes

3

JLPT

N5

Radical

小 (“little”)

On

ショウ

Kun

こ-, ちい·さい, お-