少数
shǎoshù · HSK 2
a few
☝️✌️ 少 = few/little + 数 = number → a small number = a few
少 means 'few' and 数 means 'number' or 'count'. Together 少数 literally reads as 'small number', i.e. a minority or a few. Contrast with 多数 (duōshù, 'many number' = the majority).
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.
数 — 婁 (lóu, phonetic) + 攵 (action radical)
数 is a phono-semantic compound. The right side 攵 (a hand holding a stick) suggests an action, originally tallying or counting by striking marks. The left side 婁 supplies the sound. Over time the meaning broadened from 'to count' to 'number' and 'several'.