How to Say "Rarely" in Chinese

很少

hěn shǎo

In Chinese, 'rarely' is expressed as 很少 (hěn shǎo).

很少 is used to describe an action or state that occurs to a rare degree.

Meaning: to a rare degree (adv)

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase 很少 is composed of 很, meaning 'very' and 少, meaning 'few' or 'little'.

While 很少 means 'rarely' and implies that something still happens occasionally, the term 几乎不 is stronger and means 'hardly ever' or 'almost never'.

In a sentence, 很少 is placed before the verb to indicate frequency.

hěn shǎo

In Chinese, the concept of 'rare' often switches between 少 for quantity and 稀 for density. You would use 稀 to describe a 'rare' earth metal or a 'sparse' forest.
The character 少 can be pronounced as 'shǎo' for 'few' or 'shào' for 'young'. In the phrase 很少, it always uses the 'shǎo' pronunciation.
When someone says 很少 to describe a person's character, it may imply they are 'reserved' or 'quiet' rather than describing how often they do something.

这片区域很少下雪。
It rarely snows in this area.
This sentence shows how to use 很少 to describe the frequency of snow in a specific area.
Tatoeba #5091706 by mirrorvan, translation #2592859 by WestofEden
写的没错，不过很少那么说。
It's not wrong, but it's rarely written like that.
This sentence uses 很少 to describe how a certain way of speaking is infrequently used.
Tatoeba #3459585 by GlossaMatik, translation #4761117 by billt_estates
发泄很少改善我的情绪，反而经常使它更糟。
Venting rarely improves my mood and often makes it worse.
This sentence uses 很少 to express how infrequently an action improves a mood.
Tatoeba #12615476 by Enzo, translation #12615379 by Waldelfe
他很少参加社交活动。
He rarely participates in social activities.
这种机会鲜有发生。
This kind of opportunity rarely occurs.
他们家极少外出旅行。
Their family rarely goes on trips.
我们难得能够一起度过这个周末。
It's rare for us to be able to spend this weekend together.
这种物品在市场上非常稀少。
This item is very rare on the market.
23 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two friends are talking about their eating habits.

佳怡 Jiayi

你经常在外面吃饭吗？
Nǐ jīngcháng zài wàimiàn chīfàn ma？
Do you often eat out?
伟 Wei

我不常出去，很少在餐厅吃。
Wǒ bù cháng chūqù, hěnshǎo zài cāntīng chī。
I don't go out often, I rarely eat at restaurants.
佳怡 Jiayi

那你平时都怎么处理饮食？
Nà nǐ píngshí dōu zěnme chǔlǐ yǐnshí？
Then how do you handle your meals usually?
伟 Wei

我基本都在家自己做饭。
Wǒ jīběn dōu zài jiā zìjǐ zuòfàn。
I basically cook for myself at home.

Sources

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