Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Little; Few: Used to describe a small quantity, amount, or number of something. It indicates a scarcity or a lower-than-average, expected, or desired amount.
   • Not Much; Not Many: Expresses a limited degree or a small number of countable items.

2. Adverb:

   • Seldom; Rarely; Infrequently: Used to indicate that an action occurs on few occasions or to a small degree.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Tôi có rất ít tiền. (I have very little money.)
  • Có ít sinh viên trong thư viện. (There are few students in the library.)
  • Cô ấy ăn rất ít cơm. (She eats very little rice.)

• Adverb:

  • Anh ấy ít khi đến muộn. (He seldom arrives late.)
  • Chúng tôi ít gặp nhau. (We rarely meet each other.)

Advanced Usage

• "ít ai": Hardly anyone; few people.

  • Ít ai biết sự thật. (Hardly anyone knows the truth.)

• "ít nhất": At least.

  • Hãy uống ít nhất hai lít nước mỗi ngày. (Drink at least two liters of water per day.)

• "ít hơn": Less than; fewer than.

  • Tôi có ít sách hơn bạn. (I have fewer books than you.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ít ỏi (adj): Meager, scanty, very little in a way that seems insufficient.

  • Phần thưởng rất ít ỏi. (The reward is very meager.)

• Ít nhiều (adv): More or less; to some extent.

  • Ai cũng ít nhiều lo lắng. (Everyone is worried more or less.)

Synonyms

• Adjective: Little, few, scant, sparse, limited.
• Adverb: Seldom, rarely, infrequently, hardly.

Antonyms

• Adjective: Nhiều (many, much), đông (crowded, numerous), dồi dào (abundant).
• Adverb: Thường xuyên (often), hay (frequently), luôn (always).

Related Idioms

• Của ít lòng nhiều: The gift is small but the sentiment is great (It's the thought that counts).

  • Quà mọn thôi, của ít lòng nhiều. (It's just a small gift, but it's the thought that counts.)

• Ít nói: Taciturn, a person of few words.

  • Anh ấy là người ít nói. (He is a man of few words.)

adj

1. little; few
   • rất ít người
     very few people