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少々 (しょうしょう, shoushou) Japanese meaning: a little | Kotomora

少しょう々しょう

しょ

う

しょ

う

Common word›JLPTN4›Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

a little; a bit; a small amount

Polite, slightly formal adverb/noun for a small quantity or degree. Often used in requests or offers.

少しょう々しょうお待まちください。

Please wait a moment.

塩しおを少しょう々しょう入いれてください。

Please add a pinch of salt.

2

a short time; a moment

Used for a brief duration; often in polite requests to wait.

少しょう々しょうお時じ間かんをいただけますか。
Could you spare a moment?

Usage patterns

少々しょうしょうお待まちくださいplease wait a moment (polite)
確かく認にんいたしますので、少しょう々しょうお待まちください。
Please wait a moment while I check.
〈物もの〉〉を少々加しょうしょうくわえるto add a small amount of something
スープに塩しおを少しょう々しょう加くわえてください。
Please add a little salt to the soup.
少々しょうしょう〈形容詞けいようし〉a bit ~ (softening an adjective)
このドレスは少しょう々しょう高たかいですね。
This dress is a bit expensive, isn't it.

Kanji

少few, little
小little, small

Related words

少すこしN5sense 1
少し is the everyday, neutral word for 'a little', while 少々 is more formal and polite, often used in business or service settings.
ちょっとN5sense 1
ちょっと is casual and conversational for 'a bit', whereas 少々 sounds formal and is common in polite speech or writing.
多た少しょうN3sense 1
多少 means 'somewhat/to some extent' and is used more in written or explanatory contexts, while 少々 emphasizes a small quantity in polite requests or offers.
わずかN3
少々 is a stiff, formal word for 'a little' often used in polite speech or set phrases, whereas 僅か can describe amounts, degrees, or margins more broadly.
一いち二に
少々 means 'a little' and often refers to a small amount or degree, while 一二 specifically means a small count of 'one or two' units.

Opposites

たくさんN5sense 1
たくさん means 'a lot', the opposite quantity to 少々's 'a little'.
多た々た
少々 means 'a little' in the same formal register, contrasting with 多々's 'very much/many'.

Politeness

ちょいplain
少々 is the formal, polite way to say 'a little', while ちょい is its very casual, slangy counterpart.

Written forms

少しょう々しょうUsage99%
Standard kanji spelling; high priority.
少しょう少しょうUsage1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
小しょう々しょう
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
小しょう小しょう
rarely-used kanji form

Etymology

Reduplication of 少 (しょう, 'a little'), with the second character repeated using the iteration mark 々. The form 少々 is the standard modern spelling.

Rarely used kanji form.