小
| Property |
Value |
| Meaning |
small |
| Strokes |
3 |
| JLPT Level |
N5 |
| On-reading (音読み) |
ショウ |
| Kun-reading (訓読み) |
ちい-さい、お、こ |
| Radical |
小 (しょう) - U+5C0F |
Stroke Order
The kanji 小 is written in 3 strokes, following the standard rule of top-to-bottom and center-to-sides:
- Stroke 1: A vertical line starting from the top center, ending with a small hook (tome/hane) at the bottom.
- Stroke 2: A short dot/dash on the left side, slanting slightly downward.
- Stroke 3: A short dot/dash on the right side, mirroring the left.
Radical Analysis
The kanji 小 is its own radical (部首). It represents a depiction of small grains or sand. The central vertical stroke represents the main body, while the two side strokes represent smaller particles or fragments falling away from the center, visually suggesting something that has been broken down into "small" pieces.
Mnemonic
Imagine a tiny person standing with their arms outstretched, trying to look big, but because they are so small, they still look like a little "小" shape. Alternatively, think of it as a person (the center line) with two tiny arms (the dots) held close to their body because they are shy and small.
On-readings (音読み) with Examples
ショウ (Shō)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 小学校 |
しょうがっこう |
shōgakkō |
elementary school |
| 小説 |
しょうせつ |
shōsetsu |
novel |
| 小麦 |
こむぎ |
komugi |
wheat |
| 小計 |
しょうけい |
shōkei |
subtotal |
Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples
ちい-さい (Chii-sai)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 小さい |
ちいさい |
chiisai |
small |
| 小さな |
ちいさな |
chiisana |
small (adnominal) |
お (O)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 小川 |
おがわ |
ogawa |
stream/brook |
| 小山 |
おやま |
oyama |
small hill |
こ (Ko)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 小道 |
こみち |
komichi |
path/lane |
| 小箱 |
こばこ |
kobako |
small box |
JLPT N5 Words Using 小
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
JLPT |
| 小さい |
ちいさい |
chiisai |
small |
N5 |
| 小学校 |
しょうがっこう |
shōgakkō |
elementary school |
N5 |
| 小学生 |
しょうがくせい |
shōgakusei |
elementary student |
N5 |
| 小説 |
しょうせつ |
shōsetsu |
novel |
N5 |
| 小さな |
ちいさな |
chiisana |
small |
N5 |
| 小麦 |
こむぎ |
komugi |
wheat |
N4 |
| 小銭 |
こぜに |
kozeni |
small change |
N3 |
| 小包 |
こづつみ |
kozutsumi |
parcel/package |
N3 |
Example Sentences
| Japanese |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 小さい猫がいます。 |
ちいさいねこがいます。 |
Chiisai neko ga imasu. |
There is a small cat. |
| 彼は小学校の先生です。 |
かれはしょうがっこうのせんせいです。 |
Kare wa shōgakkō no sensei desu. |
He is an elementary school teacher. |
| 小さな声で話してください。 |
ちいさなこえではなしてください。 |
Chiisana koe de hanashite kudasai. |
Please speak in a small (quiet) voice. |
| 小川のそばを歩きました。 |
おがわのそばをあるきました。 |
Ogawa no soba o arukimashita. |
I walked by the stream. |
| 私は小説を読むのが好きです。 |
わたしはしょうせつをよむのがすきです。 |
Watashi wa shōsetsu o yomu no ga suki desu. |
I like reading novels. |
| 小道を通って帰ります。 |
こみちをとおってかえります。 |
Komichi o tōtte kaerimasu. |
I will go home through the small path. |
Common Confusion Pairs
| Kanji |
Reading |
Meaning |
How to distinguish |
| 小 |
しょう |
small |
The center stroke has a hook; the side strokes are dots. |
| 少 |
しょう |
few/little |
Has an extra stroke (the long diagonal) at the bottom. |
| 大 |
だい |
big |
Looks like a person with arms and legs spread wide. |
Usage Frequency Note
小 is one of the most fundamental kanji in the Japanese language. It is taught in the first grade of elementary school (Gakushū Kanji). It is extremely common in both formal writing and daily speech, appearing in everything from basic adjectives (小さい) to complex compound nouns. It is essential for daily literacy.