小 — small

Grade 1しょう, ちい, こ, お

Radical ⼩ · radical 42 The building block this kanji is filed under

小 (readings: しょう, ちい, こ, お; Japanese kanji) means “small”. It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 小学校 (elementary school).

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What does 小 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	小
Meaning	small
Readings	しょう, ちい, こ, お
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	小学校 (elementary school)

How to read 小

小 is read しょう or ちい or こ or お depending on the word.

Words with 小

小学校しょうがっこうtrường tiểu học
小鳥chim nhỏ
縮小thu nhỏ
小舟thuyền nhỏ
小麦粉bột mì

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Updated: 2026-08-09