小
小 (xiǎo) means “small”. It is made of 亅 + 八 and has 3 strokes, and is an HSK 1 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 小 into its parts
What 小 is made of
- 亅 — hook
- 八 bā — eight
Origin hint: Dividing 八 by a line 亅 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
小 stroke order
Example sentences
我的房间很小。Wǒ de fángjiān hěn xiǎo.My room is small.
你有小一点儿的吗？Nǐ yǒu xiǎo yīdiǎnr de ma?Do you have a smaller one?
Words with 小
- 小孩儿xiǎoháirchild
- 小姐xiǎojieMiss
- 小朋友xiǎopéngyǒuchild
- 小时xiǎoshíhour
- 小学xiǎoxuéprimary school
- 小学生xiǎoxuéshēngprimary school student
- 从小cóngxiǎofrom childhood
- 大小dàxiǎosize
- 小声xiǎoshēngin a low voice
- 小时候xiǎoshíhouin one's childhood
- 小说xiǎoshuōnovel
- 小心xiǎoxīnto be careful
- 小组xiǎozǔgroup
- 中小学zhōngxiǎoxuéprimary and middle schools
- 矮小ǎixiǎoshort and small
- 缩小suōxiǎoto shrink
- 小吃xiǎochīsnack
- 小伙子xiǎohuǒziyoung man
- 小型xiǎoxíngsmall-sized
- 胆小鬼dǎnxiǎoguǐcoward
- 小麦xiǎomàiwheat
- 小气xiǎoqistingy
- 渺小miǎoxiǎotiny
- 小心翼翼xiǎoxīnyìyìvery carefully
- 小区xiǎoqūresidential community
Also built with 亅
Quick facts
| Pinyin | xiǎo |
|---|---|
| Meaning | small; little; young |
| Strokes | 3 |
| Radical | 小 (small, #42) |
| Pattern | Overlapping |
| HSK | HSK 1 (exam 2025) · HSK 2 (2021) · Old HSK 1 |
Questions about 小
What does 小 mean?
小 (xiǎo) means “small; little; young”.
How many strokes does 小 have?
小 has 3 strokes.
What is the radical of 小?
The radical of 小 is 小 (xiǎo, “small”), Kangxi radical number 42.
What parts make up 小?
小 is made of 亅 (hook) and 八 (eight).
Which HSK level is 小?
小 is in HSK 1 (exam 2025) and HSK 2 (2021) and Old HSK 1.
Learn 小 with its group
It is part of HSK 1 (2021) · Group 9: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.