少ない (すくない) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

少すくない

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な

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Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 1,000

少ない · i-adjective

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	少すくない	少すくなくない
Polite	少すくないです	少すくなくないですalso 少すくなくありません
Past polite	少すくなかったです	少すくなくなかったですalso 少すくなくありませんでした
Past	少すくなかった	少すくなくなかった
Te-form	少すくなくて	少すくなくなくて
Adverbial	少すくなく
Conditional	少すくなければ	少すくなくなければ
Tara conditional	少すくなかったら	少すくなくなかったら

Meanings

i-adjective

few; little; scarce; insufficient

Describes a small number, amount, or degree of something. Often used with nouns marked by が or は. Can also express that something happens infrequently.

Kanji

少few, little
尠at least, not a little
寡widow, minority, few

Related words· 6

乏とぼしいN2
乏しい is a more literary word stressing a serious lack or shortage, while 少ない simply states a small quantity.
わずかN3
僅か emphasizes how slight or minimal an amount is, whereas 少ない just describes a number as being small.
数かず少すくない
少ない simply means 'few' or 'little', while 数少ない adds emphasis that the small quantity is notable, often implying rarity or preciousness.
少すくなめN3
少ない is the plain adjective meaning 'few/little', whereas 少なめ softens it to mean 'a bit on the low side', often used when adjusting amounts.

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少しょう数すうN3
少ない is an i-adjective describing a state of scarcity, while 少数 is a noun/adverb naming the concept of a small quantity itself.
まばらN1
少ない simply means 'few' or 'little' in number or amount, while まばら emphasizes uneven distribution or gaps rather than just small quantity.

Opposites· 6

多おおいN5
多い means 'many/much', the direct opposite of 少ない which means 'few/little'.
おびただしいN1
少ない means 'few, little', the direct opposite of 夥しい's sense of an overwhelming, excessive quantity.
あまた
少ない means 'few, little in number', the direct opposite of あまた's 'many, numerous'.

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Don't confuse with

少すこしN5
少し is an adverb meaning 'a little' and modifies verbs/adjectives, while 少ない is an i-adjective describing that a quantity itself is small.
小ちいさいN5
少ない means 'few/little in quantity or number', while 小さい means 'small in size or degree'; learners often confuse the two because both translate as 'little'.

Word family· 11

少すくなくともN3
at least
数かず少すくない
few in number; scarce; limited
少すくなめN3
somewhat less; slightly below; on the low side

Written forms

少すくないUsage95%
Standard kanji spelling; the most frequent and recommended form.
すくないUsage3%
少すくないUsage2%
search-only kanji form
Search-only variant; not a standard spelling.
尠すくないUsage<1%

Etymology

Derived from classical Japanese adjective すくなし (sukunashi), which already carried the meaning 'few, little'. The modern form 少ない (sukunai) is the regular development of the ク-adjective conjugation.

少すくない

Meanings

Usage patterns

Expressions· 9