---
title: "Xiaoyu Meaning: 小于 (xiǎoyú) Means “less than”"
description: "小于 (traditional 小於, xiǎoyú) means “less than; smaller than”. Hear its tones, see what 小 and 于 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/xiaoyu"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 小于 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

小于 xiǎoyú

## less than; smaller than

## Its characters

1. 小 xiǎo small
2. 于 yú than (in comparisons)

## In a sentence

这个房间的面积小于二十平米。 This room is smaller than twenty square meters.

[More about 小于](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%B0%8F%E4%BA%8E)

## More words with 小 or 于

- [便于 biànyú](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/bianyu)
- [不至于 bùzhìyú](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/buzhiyu)
- [处于 chǔyú](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/chuyu)
- [从小 cóngxiǎo](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/congxiao)
- [大小 dàxiǎo](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/daxiao)
- [大于 dàyú](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dayu)
- [等于 děngyú](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dengyu)
- [低于 dīyú](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/diyu)
- [对于 duìyú](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/duiyu)
- [高于 gāoyú](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/gaoyu)

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## Look up another word

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[All 214 Chinese radicals](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-radicals)

[How it compares with HelloChinese](https://mandarinthewild.com/compare/hellochinese)