Kanji · JLPT N5 · Level 3
小 small
- Meaning
- small
- On reading
- ショウ
- Kun reading
- ちい(さい)
Memory hook
A hook with a small stroke either side, like something tiny pinched between two fingers. ショウ in compounds, ちい(さい) on its own.
Words that use 小
小さい
ちいさい
small
小学校
しょうがっこう
primary school
How to write 小
Stroke order · 3 strokes
1
2
3
- 1. The vertical through the centre, ending in a hook.
- 2. The sweep down to the left.
- 3. The diagonal down to the right.
Stroke data from KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0.
General rules
- Top to bottom, left to right.
- Horizontal strokes before crossing vertical ones (十 = horizontal, then vertical).
- Outside before inside - but close a box last (口).
- A vertical that passes all the way through comes last (中).
- Left-falling diagonal before right-falling (大).
小 is taught on day 11 of the kanji course, alongside 上 下 大, with two writing passes and a short quiz.