| 减少 | jiǎn shǎo | to lessen; to decrease; to reduce; to lower |
| 多少 | duō shao | how much; how many; which (number); as much as |
| 多少 | duō shǎo | number; amount; somewhat |
| 少 | shǎo | few; little; lack |
| 少 | shào | young |
| 少数 | shǎo shù | small number; few; minority |
| 至少 | zhì shǎo | at least; (to say the) least |
| 少年 | shào nián | youngster; juvenile |
| 少量 | shǎo liàng | a smidgen; a little bit; a few |
| 缺少 | quē shǎo | lack; shortage of; shortfall; to be short (of); to lack |
| 少数民族 | shǎo shù mín zú | national minority; ethnic group |
| 刘少奇 | Liú Shào qí | Liu Shaoqi (1898-1969), Chinese communist leader, a martyr of the Cultural Revolution |
| 不少 | bù shǎo | many; a lot; not few |
| 少许 | shǎo xǔ | a little; a few |
| 少见 | shǎo jiàn | rare; not familiar (to the speaker); sth rarely experience; hard to see |
| 必不可少 | bì bù kě shǎo | absolutely necessary; indispensable; essential |
| 少先队 | shào xiān duì | Young Pioneers (primary school league, a preparation for Communist Youth League) |
| 稀少 | xī shǎo | sparse; rare |
| 少爷 | shào ye | son of the boss; young master of the house; your son (honorary) |
| 老少 | lǎo shào | the old and the young |
| 少女 | shào nǚ | maiden |
| 过少 | guò shǎo | too few; insufficient |
| 或多或少 | huò duō huò shǎo | more or less |
| 少将 | shào jiàng | major general; rear admiral; air vice marshal |
| 年少 | nián shào | young; junior |
| 青少年 | qīng shào nián | an adolescent; a youth; young person; teenage; teenager |
| 少校 | shào xiào | junior ranking officer in Chinese army; major; lieutenant commander |
| 少顷 | shǎo qǐng | in a short while; presently |
| 少妇 | shào fù | young married woman |
| 少不了 | shǎo bu liǎo | cannot do without; to be unavoidable; are bound to be many |
| 少奶奶 | shǎo nǎi nai | young lady of the house; wife of the young master |
| 少不得 | shǎo bu dé | cannot be avoided; cannot do without |
| 少尉 | shào wèi | second lieutenant (army rank) |
| 不可缺少 | bù kě quē shǎo | indispensable |
| 中国少年先锋队 | Zhōng guó Shǎo nián Xiān fēng duì | Young Pioneers of China |
| 人烟稀少 | rén yān xī shǎo | no sign of human habitation (idiom); desolate |
| 以少胜多 | yǐ shǎo shèng duō | using the few to defeat the many (idiom); to win from a position of weakness |
| 凶多吉少 | xiōng duō jí shǎo | everything bodes ill, no positive signs (idiom); inauspicious; everything points to disaster |
| 多多少少 | duō duō shǎo shǎo | to some extent; more or less |
| 多少钱 | duō shao qián | how much money; how much? |
| 多栽花少栽刺 | duō zāi huā shǎo zāi cì | talk nicely and avoid disputes; give compliments and not remarks |
| 少之又少 | shǎo zhī yòu shǎo | very few; very little |
| 少先队员 | shào xiān duì yuán | member of the Young Pioneers |
| 少儿 | shào ér | child |
| 少刻 | shǎo kè | a short while; soon |
| 少啰唆 | shǎo luō suō | Shut up!; Stop grumbling!; Give me a break! |
少壮不努力，
老大徒伤悲 | shào zhuàng bù nǔ lì ,
lǎo dà tú shāng bēi | if you are lazy in your prime, you'll be sorry in your old age |
| 少壮派 | shào zhuàng pài | young guard; young and vigorous group with new ideas; new wave |
| 少女峰 | shào nǚ fēng | Jungfrau, peak in Switzerland |
少女露笑脸，
婚事半成全 | shào nǚ lù xiào liǎn ,
hūn shì bàn chéng quán | when the girl smiles, the matchmaker's job is half done (idiom) |
