小 Stroke Order — How to Write 小
小 is written in 3 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 小, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
小 Radical and Character Components
小 is an ideographic compound. Dividing 八 by a line 亅.
Radical: 小 + 0 more strokes
小 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- xiǎo
Meanings of 小 in Chinese
1
xiǎo小
Small; little; refers to something being less than average or compared objects in terms of size, volume, quantity, intensity, or power.
外面下着小雨。
It's raining lightly outside.
Refers to something that is trivial, minor, or of limited scope/importance.
我们不要为了一点小事而争吵。
Let's not quarrel over such a trivial matter.
Refers to a short duration, as in a brief stay or rest.
你先小坐一会儿，我马上就来。
Please sit for a moment; I'll be right there.
Young; small in age or size, often referring to a child.
这个小孩很可爱。
This child is very cute.
Used as a humble self-reference, typically by men (e.g., '小弟' meaning 'your humble younger brother' or 'I'), to show modesty when speaking of oneself or one's status.
小弟初来乍到，请多关照。
I (your humble younger brother) am new here; please take care of me.
Concubine; mistress; secondary wife.
旧时，有些富贵人家除了正妻，还会纳个小。
In old times, some wealthy families would take a concubine in addition to their principal wife.
Common Words and Phrases with 小
1
2
Pretty boy; a kept man.
他那张小白脸儿，加上甜言蜜语，总能把女孩子哄得团团转。
His 'pretty boy' looks, combined with sweet talk, always manage to charm girls.
3
small articles of daily use; sundries; miscellaneous daily necessities
这家商店出售各种各样的小百货，方便了周围的居民
This store sells a wide variety of small daily necessities, which is convenient for the surrounding residents.
4
The bottom class in a kindergarten.
我的女儿今年三岁了，她刚刚开始上幼儿园的小班。
My daughter is three years old this year, and she just started kindergarten's junior class.
5
6
An underage farmhand or child laborer, often exploited by landlords.
当年他只是一个给村里富裕人家做杂活的"小半活"，没想到后来能开创自己的事业。
Back then, he was just a "xiaobanhua" doing odd jobs for the village's richer families; who would have imagined he would later build his own enterprise?
7
A small-sized newspaper, also known as a tabloid, often featuring sensational news.
他在火车站买了一份小报，上面刊登了关于明星的八卦新闻。
He bought a tabloid at the train station, which featured gossip about celebrities.
8
To report someone's misbehavior or faults to a superior, often secretly and with a connotation of tattling or informing.
他因为经常向上级打小报告，所以在同事中人缘不好。
He often makes discreet reports to his superiors, which makes him unpopular among his colleagues.
9
A small water cup, especially one used by British soldiers.
他从背包里拿出小杯，去河边打了些水。
He took the small cup from his backpack and went to the river to get some water.
10
Junior; a person of a younger generation or lower in seniority.
在家族聚会上，长辈们总是对这些小辈们寄予厚望。
At family gatherings, the elders always place high hopes on these junior members.
11
Business with a small capital; do business in a small way.
这家小餐馆虽然是小本经营，但凭借着地道的口味，生意一直很红火。
Although this small restaurant is a modest operation, its authentic flavors have kept business booming.
12
to urinate; pee
小孩子晚上睡觉前最好先小便一次。
It's best for children to urinate once before going to bed at night.
13
urinal
公共卫生间里通常设有几个小便池，方便男士使用
Public restrooms typically have several urinals for men's convenience.
14
15
a mistake or shortcoming that may be exploited by others
他总是担心别人抓住他的小辫子，所以行事特别小心
He is always worried that others might find his vulnerability, so he acts with extreme caution.
More words with 小
- miáo渺xiǎo小insignificant, tiny
- ruò弱xiǎo小weak and small
- xiá狭xiǎo小Narrow and small; cramped.
- ái矮xiǎo小short, small
- miǎo藐xiǎo小Insignificant, Tiny
- qī妻xiǎo小wife and children
- shòu瘦xiǎo小slight, small and thin
- yòu幼xiǎo小Young and small; immature.
- zhǎi窄xiǎo小narrow and small
- xiē些xiǎo小a little; slightly; tiny; minute
- chuān穿xiǎo小xié鞋to give someone a hard time, to subject someone to petty harassment
- shèn肾xiǎo小guǎn管renal tubule
- wèi胃xiǎo小wān弯Lesser curvature
- biǎn褊xiǎo小Narrow, cramped, or narrow-minded.
- diàn店xiǎo小èr二Waiter, Inn waiter
- péi赔xiǎo小xīn心be extremely deferential, act cautiously
- xiáo小cǎo草small grass, blade of grass
- xiǎo小chī吃snack, street food
- xiáo小chǒu丑clown, Joker
- xiǎo小chuán船small boat, boat
Idioms with 小
- xiǎo小cài菜yī一dié碟A piece of cake
- xiǎo小chéng惩dà大jiè诫minor punishment, major warning
- xiǎo小chǒu丑tiào跳liáng梁Insignificant villains stirring up mischief
- xiǎo小dǎ打xiǎo小nào闹do things on a small scale
- xiǎo小dào道xiāo消xi息unofficial news or rumors
- xiǎo小dù肚jī鸡cháng肠narrow-minded and petty
- xiǎo小ēn恩xiǎo小huì惠petty favors to curry favor
- xiǎo小ér儿pò破zéi贼youngster achieves great accomplishments
- xiǎo小guó国guǎ寡mín民small country with few people
- xiǎo小hù户rén人jiā家a family of humble origins or limited means
- xiǎo小jiā家bì碧yù玉pretty maiden from a modest household
- xiǎo小jiā家zi子qì气petty and narrow-minded
Recommended tools
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →Questions about 小
What does 小 mean in Chinese?
小 (xiǎo) means “Small” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 小?
小 is pronounced xiǎo in Mandarin Chinese.
How many strokes does 小 have?
小 has 3 strokes.
How do you write 小?
小 is written in 3 strokes, starting from the radical 小. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 小?
The radical of 小 is 小, and 小 is an ideographic compound.
