幼よう少しょう

よ

う

しょ

う

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

noun, na-adjective, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

infancy; childhood; tender age

Refers to the period of being very young, typically up to around elementary school age. Often used in formal or written descriptions of one's early years.

彼かれは幼よう少しょうの頃

ころ

から

ピアノ

を

習なら

っ

て

い

た

。

He has been learning piano since childhood.

幼よう少しょう期きの思おもい出ではほとんど残のこっていない。

I have few memories of my infancy.

Usage patterns

幼よう少しょうのころから〜since one's early childhood, ...
彼かれは幼よう少しょうのころからピアノを習ならっている。
He has been learning piano since he was a small child.
幼よう少しょうにして〈事こと〉even at a very young age, (something happened)
幼よう少しょうにして両りょう親しんを失うしなった。
He lost his parents at a very young age.

Kanji

幼infancy, childhood
少few, little

Related words

幼よう年ねん
幼少 and 幼年 both mean early childhood, but 幼年 is more often used in compound words like 幼年期 and can sound more technical or clinical.
子こ供ども時じ代だい
子供時代 is the everyday, casual way to refer to one's childhood, while 幼少 is a formal, written term emphasizing the very early years.
幼よう児じ期き
幼児期 specifically denotes the early-childhood developmental stage (roughly ages 1-6), whereas 幼少 is a broader, more literary term for one's young years.

Opposites

老ろう年ねん
幼少 refers to one's early childhood years, while 老年 refers to old age, the opposite stage of life.

Don't confuse with

幼よう稚ちN2
幼少 shares the kanji 幼 with 幼稚 but means 'childhood/early years', while 幼稚 means 'childish/immature' and describes behavior or thinking.

Word family

幼よう少しょう時じ
childhood
幼よう少しょう期き
early childhood; childhood

Etymology

Compound of 幼 (young, infant) and 少 (few, little, young). The combination emphasizes the state of being very young.