English

Noun

xiao ‎(plural xiaos)

1. Type of Chinese flute.

Translations

Etymology 2

Borrowing from Mandarin 小 ‎(xiǎo).

Adjective

xiao ‎(not comparable)

1. (fiction) signifying a little one, junior, small guy, younger person. Usually is attached to a name

Usage notes

In Chinese-language fiction translated into English, to add a Chinese flavour (Mandarin language), some translators leave the term "xiao" untranslated, left in unaccented pinyin. This practice is similar to not translating "sifu" or "sensei"/"-san" in English-language Cantonese and Japanese fiction respectively.

Mandarin

Romanization

xiao

1. Nonstandard spelling of xiāo.
2. Nonstandard spelling of xiáo.
3. Nonstandard spelling of xiǎo.
4. Nonstandard spelling of xiào.

Usage notes

• English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.