少ない

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 人が少ない店。▶ —
   A shop with few people.
2. 時間が少なすぎる。▶ —
   There is too little time.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Sukunai (少ない) is the i-adjective for "few / scarce." Paired with ooi (many). The kanji 少 = 小 (small) plus 丿 (one stroke) trimming a smaller thing — even fewer. Like ooi, sukunai dodges direct attributive use — "sukunai hito" sounds awkward; "hito ga sukunai" (predicative) or "shousuu no hito" (kanji noun phrase) flows naturally. Japan-specific cluster: shousuuha (minority faction), shoushika (declining birthrate, covered in wakai), shoushi koureika. Usage patterns: yosan ga sukunai (small budget), kotoba ga sukunai (few words spoken — Japans chinmoku no bi (silence as virtue) makes "Japanese say few words" a recurring stereotype). The 少 family: shoushou (a little, polite — "shoushou omachi kudasai" please wait a moment is canonical business courtesy), shousuu minzoku (ethnic minority), seishounen (youth). Korean jeokda and Chinese shao share the root. JLPT N5 sukunai pairs with the shoushou omachi kudasai business courtesy phrase.

Quick check

1. Polite Japanese for "please wait a moment"?

   • Shoushou omachi kudasai
   • Matte (informal)
   • Chotto (a bit)
   • Sugu (right away)