少儿
shào ér · HSK 6
child
🧒 少 young + 儿 child = the young ones
少 here means young or junior (same 少 as in 少年 teenager). 儿 is child or son. Together they label children as a group, often in media or education contexts.
少 — 小 (small) + 丿 (slash stroke)
Originally a pictograph showing four small dots or grains, suggesting 'few' or 'small in quantity'. Over time it became distinguished from 小 (small) by adding a downward stroke. The core meaning shifted toward 'few' or 'little in number', while 小 kept the sense of physical smallness.