The Meaning of sukunai [少ない] In Japanese

少ない
すくない
Romaji: sukunai N5

What does 少ない mean?

Translation and Meaning

few, little, scarce

Definition

少ない means not many or a small quantity. It describes a small number of countable items or scarce resources, and it functions as an i-adjective that modifies nouns or appears in predicates to express scarcity relative to expectation or need.

Type

adjective (形容詞・イ形容詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Small counts of people or items; used for numeric scarcity.
  • Scarcity of resources, opportunities, or time.
  • Used in comparisons to indicate a quantity is lower than expected or desirable.
  • Register ranges from neutral to formal, suitable for both speech and writing.

Etymology

少 means ‘few, little’. The stem 少な combines with the i-ending い to form 少ない, yielding the sense of ‘not many’.

Composition

  • 少: few, little
  • な: stem-forming element turning 少 into 少な
  • い: adjective ending completing the i-adjective 少ない

Usage

Commonly used to describe quantities in everyday speech and formal prose. Patterns include Xが少ない and Xは少ない to mark the topic or subject; it can modify nouns directly as 少ない資源 or 少ない時間, and it also appears in constructions like あまり〜ない with negative nuance.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: visualize two small figures (少) with a dash, reminding you of scarcity; when you see 少ない, think not many as the default sense.

Variations

  • 乏しい (とぼしい) — toboshii; scarce
  • 多い (おおい) — ooi; many
  • 不足 (ふそく) — fuzoku; shortage

Example Phrases

  • スーパーでは食材が少ないので、買い物に急ぐ。
    Sūpā de wa shokuzai ga sukunai node, kaimono ni isogu.
    At the supermarket, ingredients are few, so I hurry to shop.
    Lista:
    • スーパーでは (Sūpā de wa) – at the supermarket
    • 食材が (shokuzai ga) – ingredients
    • 少ないので (sukunai node) – because there are few
    • 買い物に (kaimono ni) – to shop
    • 急ぐ (isogu) – hurry
    Here, 「少ない」 is an i-adjective meaning ‘few’, describing 食材; it is used with が to mark the subject and ので to give a reason.
少ない