少数 (shǎo shù) — minority; small number (of people or things)

Definition

少数 (shǎoshù) means 'a minority' or 'a small number' — the opposite of 多数. Use it for people or things, not for vague small amounts like 一些.

noun

minoritysmall number (of people or things)

少数。
shǎo shù Rén fǎn duì zhè ge jué dìng.
A minority of people oppose this decision.
少数。
Zhǐ yǒu shǎo shù guó jiā zhī chí zhè ge xiǎng fǎ.
Only a small number of countries support this idea.
少数。
Zhè zhǒng guān diǎn zhī dài biǎo shǎo shù.
This viewpoint only represents a minority.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

少 means few, and 数 means number, giving the idea of a small number or minority.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 少 is drawn as four dots, perhaps three grains of sand, to indicate a few or a little.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 數; 数 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

攴攴pū

Sound part声符shēngfú

婁

婁lóu數shù(r)

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 數 pairs 攴, the meaning part, with 婁, the sound part; the simplified 数 is a shorthand.

Appears in