Meaning of 小声
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- in a low voice
- (speak) in whispers
How to use 小声
小声 is often used before a verb to describe how someone speaks, especially with 说 (shuō). It is common in places like libraries, classrooms, or when a baby is sleeping. Example: 请小声说话。(Qǐng xiǎoshēng shuōhuà.) Please speak quietly.
小 (xiǎo) means small and 声 (shēng) means sound or voice. A small voice is a quiet one, so 小声 means speaking softly.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes say 小说 (xiǎoshuō) when they mean 小声说 (xiǎoshēng shuō). 小说 means a novel, so leaving out 声 changes the meaning completely.
小声 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.
小 xiǎo · small · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
声 shēng · sound · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 小声.
| 小姐 | xiǎojiě | young lady; miss |
| 小时 | xiǎoshí | hour |
| 小朋友 | xiǎopéngyǒu | child; kid (used to refer to a child, or by an adult to address a child, or, in Taiwan, to |
| 小学 | xiǎoxué | elementary school; primary school |
| 小孩儿 | xiǎoháir | erhua variant of 小孩[xiao3 hai2] |
| 小学生 | xiǎoxuéshēng | primary school student; schoolchild |
| 小心 | xiǎoxīn | to be careful; to take care |
| 声音 | shēngyīn | sound; voice |
| 小时候 | xiǎoshíhou | in one's childhood |
| 大声 | dà shēng | loud voice; in a loud voice |
| 小组 | xiǎozǔ | group |
| 小说 | xiǎoshuō | novel; fiction |
Questions about 小声
What does 小声 mean?
小声 (xiǎo shēng) means "in a low voice; (speak) in whispers".
How do you write 小声?
小声 is made of 2 characters: 小 (3 strokes), 声 (7 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 小声 an HSK word?
Yes. 小声 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 小声 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 小声 is written 小聲.
What is the opposite of 小声?
The opposite is 大声 (dàshēng), meaning loudly. For example, 别大声说话 (bié dàshēng shuōhuà) means don't talk loudly.
Can I say 小声一点 to ask someone to be quieter?
Yes. 小声一点 (xiǎoshēng yìdiǎn) or 小声点儿 (xiǎoshēng diǎnr) is a very natural way to ask someone to lower their voice. Adding 请 (qǐng) at the start makes it more polite.