Kanji

Jōyō kanji, Taught in grade 1

JLPT level: N5

114 of 2500 most used kanji in newspapers

Stroke count: 3

Meaning: little, small

Kunyomi: ちい.さい こ- お- さ-

Onyomi: ショウ

Radical

Radical:

Reading: しょう

Meaning: small, insignificant

Strokes: 3

Examples

Examples with audio

説(しょうせつ)   a novel

学校(しょうがっこう)   elementary school

(さいしょう)   minimum

(だいしょう)   size

さい(ちいさい)   small

麦(こむぎ)   wheat

鳥(ことり)   small bird

川(おがわ)   small stream, brook

Onyomi Examples

ショウ smallness, small item, short month (i.e. having fewer than 31 days), elementary school, smaller (of two things, places, etc. with the same name), inferior, younger (of two people with the same name), junior, unit of field area (approx. 400 sq m)

コサメ light rain, drizzle

ビショウ microscopic

チュウショウ small and medium

Kunyomi Examples

さい ちいさい small, little, tiny, slight, below average (in degree, amount, etc.), minor, small, low (e.g. sound), soft (e.g. voice), unimportant, petty, insignificant, trifling, trivial, young, juvenile

さい頃 ちいさいころ as a child, when one was a child