希少・稀少|きしょうkishou[0]heiban (flat)

1. na-adjective, nounscarce; rare
   古代こだいにおいて塩しおは希少きしょうで貴重きちょうな商品しょうひんであった。↗

   Salt was a rare and costly commodity in ancient times.

• SynonymまれNeutralRare and seldom-seen; usually as 「まれに」 or 「まれな」, it stresses how seldom something happens, while 「希少」 stresses how few exist.
• Synonym珍しいめずらしいNeutralThe everyday word for something uncommon or novel; it stresses that something feels fresh or unusual, whereas 「希少」 stresses extremely small numbers.
• Synonym乏しいとぼしいNeutralMeans lacking or insufficient with a negative judgment, as in 「経験に乏しい」; 「希少」 simply states objectively that numbers are very small.
• SynonymめったにないCasualA colloquial set phrase for things that seldom happen, or items rarely seen or hard to get, as in 「滅多にない品」; 「希少」 states small numbers more objectively.
• Synonym稀覯きこうWrittenWritten language for something rarely seen, used mostly of books and documents, as in 「稀覯本」 or 「稀覯品」.
• Related希代きたいWrittenWritten word for something virtually unheard of in the world, often 「希代の名人」, with an emphatic ring; 「希少」 only says the quantity is small.
• Related並み外れなみはずれNeutralMeans far beyond the ordinary in degree, as in 「並外れた体力」; it is about outstanding degree, not about how many there are.
• Related異色いしょくWrittenWritten word for distinctive and unlike the rest, as in 「異色の経歴」; it stresses an unusual style, not scarcity.
• Related珍ちんWrittenWritten element meaning curious or odd, mostly in compounds like 「珍品」「珍事」, often with a comic flavor; 「希少」 only states small numbers.
• Related非凡ひぼんWrittenWritten word for exceptional talent or quality, rating ability, works, ideas and the like, as in 「非凡な発想」; 「希少」 is about quantity.
• Related希有けうWrittenA literary, old-fashioned word for rare, as in 「希有な例」; it sounds more bookish than 「希少」, and in daily speech 「まれ」 is enough.
• Related人並みはずれたひとなみはずれたNeutralMeans far beyond the average person, rating people's ability, strength or traits; it does not mean scarce in number.
• Related超凡ちょうぼんWrittenWritten word for transcendent excellence in talent or attainment; in daily speech 「非凡」 is more common, and it has nothing to do with quantity.
• Antonym豊富ほうふNeutralAntonym meaning abundant and plentiful, as in 「資源が豊富」; it is the direct opposite of 「希少」.
• Antonym多数たすうNeutralAntonym for large numbers, typically counting people or things, as in 「多数の意見」; the opposite of 「希少」.
• Antonym大量たいりょうNeutralAntonym for large volume or bulk quantities, as in 「大量生産」; it stresses sheer size, the opposite of 「希少」.

Use 「希少」 for extremely small numbers, as in 「希少種」 or 「希少な疾患」. In everyday speech, say 「珍しい」 for something uncommon and 「めったにない」 for something that seldom happens. The opposites are 「豊富」 and 「大量」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 数量すうりょうが極きわめて少すくないこと。