小
しょう · shou · JLPT N3 · noun
small
🐭 shou sounds like show: a small show, three strokes and it is over
小 is just three strokes: a centre hook with a tiny dot on each side, a thing whittled down to bits. The on-reading shou appears in compounds like 小学校 (shougakkou) = small + study + school, i.e. elementary school.
小 — three small strokes around a central vertical
小 is a pictograph originally showing three tiny dots or specks, suggesting small particles or grains. Over time the dots became stylized strokes flanking a central line. The core meaning 'small' has stayed remarkably stable from oracle bone script to today.