How to Say ‘There are few people.’ in Japanese
人が少ないです。
hito ga sukunai desu
[hee-toh ga soo-koo-NAI dess]
💬 Usage Tip: Japanese says "people are few" with 少ない (sukunai) where English says "there aren't many people". The opposite is 人が多いです "it's crowded".
Phrase Breakdown
人が
hito ga
people (are)
人 (hito) means 'people'. が marks the subject. The 'i' in hito is soft.
人が多いです。
There are a lot of people.
Words in this phrase
人
hito
[hee-toh]
person; people
A general word for a person or people.
人と話すのが好きです。
I like talking with people.
が
ga
[ga]
subject marker
A particle marking the subject of the sentence.
興味がある分野を教えてください。
Please tell me the field you are interested in.
少ないです。
sukunai desu
few
少ない (sukunai) means 'few' or 'not many'. The first 'u' is almost silent: 'skunai'.
お金が少ないです。
I don't have much money.
Words in this phrase
少ない
sukunai
[soo-koo-NAI]
few; not many
Adjective meaning a small number or amount.
この店は客が少ないです。
This shop has few customers.
です
desu
[dess]
is; polite copula
A polite sentence ending used in formal conversation.
少し伺いたいです。
I would like to ask a little.
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