多少
たしょう · tashou · JLPT N3 · adverb
a little (same as 少し (すこし))
多少 = many + few: not a lot, not none, so somewhat or a little
多 (た) means many and 少 (しょう) means few. Putting the two opposites together gives a middle amount: some, a bit, more or less. In speech, 多少 sounds a little more formal than 少し.
多 — two 夕 (evening) stacked
多 originally depicted two pieces of meat (夕, a variant of 肉) stacked together, suggesting abundance. Over time it was reanalyzed as two 'evenings' piled up — many evenings meaning many days, hence 'many, much'. The doubling itself conveys quantity.
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.