DICTIONARY
The Chinese word xiao - 小 - xiǎo
(small in Chinese)
Phonetic script (Hanyu Pinyin)
xiǎo
Listen to pronunciation
(Mandarin = standard Chinese without accent)
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English translations
small, briefly, the young,
for a short while, little
Chinese character and stroke order animation"How do I write 小 ( xiǎo ) correctly?"
The strokes that all Chinese characters are composed of are to be written in a certain order which has originally been defined by Chinese calligraphy. Writing all characters according to the same rules assures that their intended shape and style are generally preserved even if written by different writers.
This dictionary shows you the correct stroke order as an animation for all characters so you can learn and understand how to write the character correctly. :
The strokes that all Chinese characters are composed of are to be written in a certain order which has originally been defined by Chinese calligraphy. Writing all characters according to the same rules assures that their intended shape and style are generally preserved even if written by different writers.
This dictionary shows you the correct stroke order as an animation for all characters so you can learn and understand how to write the character correctly. :
The traditional Chinese characters of xiǎo are identical with the modern (simplified) characters displayed above.
Chinese Pinyin example sentence with 小 ( xiao / xiǎo ) ⓘWriting in Pinyin
Before using this Pinyin example sentence, consider that Chinese characters should always be your first choice in written communication.
If you cannot use Chinese characters, it is preferable to use the Pinyin with tones. Only use the Pinyin without tones if there's no other option (e.g. writing a text message from/to a mobile phone that doesn't support special characters such as ā, í, ǒ, ù).
Before using this Pinyin example sentence, consider that Chinese characters should always be your first choice in written communication.
If you cannot use Chinese characters, it is preferable to use the Pinyin with tones. Only use the Pinyin without tones if there's no other option (e.g. writing a text message from/to a mobile phone that doesn't support special characters such as ā, í, ǒ, ù).
Zhe jian yifu tai xiao le.
Zhè jiàn yīfu tài xiǎo le.– English translation: This piece of clothing is too small.
Topic
Usage as a radical
小 can also be used as a radical, i.e. as a sub-component of a Chinese character. It is then called xiǎozìpáng.
Character complexity
小 is composed of 3 strokes and therefore is of very low complexity compared to the other simplified Chinese characters (average: 13.1 strokes).
Tags and additional information
(Meaning of individual characters, character components etc.)
snack | to look down upon
小 ( xiao / xiǎo ) belongs to the 100 most common Chinese characters (rank 51)
小 ( xiao / xiǎo ) belongs to the 100 most common Chinese characters (rank 51)
Chinese example words containing the character 小 ( xiao / xiǎo )
矮小 ( ǎixiǎo = undersized ), 胆小 ( dǎnxiǎo = timid ), 大小 ( dàxiǎo = size ), 科幻小说 ( kēhuànxiǎoshuō = science fiction novel ), 恐怖小说 ( kǒngbù xiǎoshuō = horror novel ), 小吃 ( xiǎochī = snack ), 小吃店 ( xiǎochīdiàn = snack-bar ), 小调 ( xiǎodiào = minor ), 小孩儿 ( xiǎoháir = child ), 小姐 ( xiǎojiě = Miss ), 小老鼠 ( xiǎolǎoshǔ = mouse ), 小猫 ( xiǎomāo = pussycat ), 小麦 ( xiǎomài = wheat ), 小米 ( xiǎomǐ = millet ), 小声 ( xiǎoshēng = in a low voice ), 小时 ( xiǎoshí = hour ), 小说 ( xiǎoshuō = novel ), 小提琴 ( xiǎotíqín = violin ) 小心 ( xiǎoxīn = careful )
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Version 5.52 / Last updated: 2026-11-03