se1 siu2些少
Jyutpingse1 siu2
Yalesē síu
Definition
A little bit; a small amount.
colloquialdescriptionsnumbers
How it's used
While often interchangeable with 少少, 些少 carries a slightly more formal or emphatic nuance, sometimes suggesting a small but noticeable quantity. It is frequently used to describe degrees of difference, such as in comparisons where one thing is slightly better or worse than another.
Examples
Can you give me a little bit of time?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using 些少 as a direct substitute for 少少 in every context, as it can sound slightly stiff or literary in very casual speech. It is also not typically used to modify verbs in the same way that 少少 can be used to indicate doing something a little bit.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
