多少

duōshǎo / duōshao
adverb #360

Meanings

  1. 1 somewhat; more or less
  2. 2 amount; quantity

Characters

Both syllables keep their tones here, and both meanings stay live: how much and how little, taken together as an amount.

Examples

HSK 4
Wǒ duōshǎo liǎojiě tā de qíngkuàng.
I know something about his situation.
HSK 4
Shōurù de duōshǎo yào kàn nénglì.
How much you earn depends on your ability.
HSK 5
Zhè jù huà duōshǎo yǒudiǎn dàolǐ.
There is some truth in this remark.

Tips

mistakes
This is not the question word. That one is 多少 with a neutral second syllable, asking how many or how much. Here the second syllable keeps its third tone, and the word states a quantity or softens a statement rather than asking anything.
usage
In front of a verb or an adjective it means somewhat, often followed by 有点. After it names the size of a quantity, as in 收入多少, how much someone earns. The doubled form 多多少少 carries the same somewhat sense.

Stroke Order

duō
shǎo