Japanese symbol for “smaller”
小
しょう
Romaji: shou
smallness; small item
In Japanese, smaller is 小, read しょう (shou).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n, n-pref smallness; small item
- n short month (i.e. having fewer than 31 days)
- n urine; piss; pee; urination
- n, n-pref elementary school
- n-pref smaller (of two things, places, etc. with the same name); inferior
- n-pref younger (of two people with the same name); junior
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “smaller”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 雌 | め me | smaller (of the two); weaker |
| より小さい | よりちいさい yorichiisai | smaller ... |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 小説 | しょうせつ shousetsu | novel; story; (work of) fiction |
| 小学校 | しょうがっこう shougakkou | primary school; elementary school; grade school |
| 小学生 | しょうがくせい shougakusei | elementary school student; primary school student; grade school student |
| 小型 | こがた kogata | small-sized; small-scale; miniature |
| 小さい | ちいさい chiisai | small; little; tiny |
| 縮小 | しゅくしょう shukushou | reduction; curtailment; cut |
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.