多少 meaning in English
how much?; how many?; (phone number, student ID etc) what number?
Meaning of 多少
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- how much?; how many?
- (phone number, student ID etc) what number?
- number; amount
- somewhat
How to use 多少
多少 asks about quantity, price, or a number, and it works for any amount, large or small. It also asks for numbers like phone numbers or room numbers. Example: 这个多少钱？(Zhège duōshao qián?) How much is this?
多少 is built from 多 (duō, many) and 少 (shǎo, few). Asking "many or few?" is simply asking "how many?"
Common mistake: Learners often use 多少 for small counts where 几 (jǐ) sounds more natural, such as asking a child's age or a few items. 几 usually expects an answer under ten and needs a measure word, as in 几个 (jǐ gè), while 多少 can stand directly before a noun.
多少 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
多 duō · many · 6 strokes
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- 2
- 3
- 4
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- 6
少 shǎo · few · 4 strokes
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- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 多少.
| 多久 | duōjiǔ | (of time) how long?; (not) a long time |
| 差不多 | chàbuduō | almost; nearly |
| 许多 | xǔduō | many; a lot of |
| 好多 | hǎoduō | many; quite a lot |
| 多么 | duōme | how (wonderful etc); what (a great idea etc) |
| 不少 | bù shǎo | many; quite a few; a good number of |
| 大多数 | dàduōshù | (great) majority |
| 少年 | shàonián | early youth; youngster |
| 多数 | duōshù | majority; most |
| 青少年 | qīng-shàonián | adolescent; youth |
| 少数 | shǎoshù | small number; few |
| 多云 | duōyún | (meteorology) cloudy |
Questions about 多少
What does 多少 mean?
多少 (duōshao) means "how much?; how many?; (phone number, student ID etc) what number?" and is used as a pronoun.
How do you write 多少?
多少 is made of 2 characters: 多 (6 strokes), 少 (4 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 多少 an HSK word?
Yes. 多少 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I ask for a phone number with 多少?
Say 你的电话号码是多少？(Nǐ de diànhuà hàomǎ shì duōshao?) What is your phone number? Chinese uses 多少 here, not 什么 (shénme).
What does 多少 mean when it is not a question?
Pronounced duōshǎo, it can mean "more or less" or "somewhat", as in 我多少懂一点 (Wǒ duōshǎo dǒng yìdiǎn), I understand a little, more or less. It can also mean "amount", as in 不管多少 (bùguǎn duōshǎo), no matter how much.