wenig

Wenig is a German word meaning "little" or "few." It can function as a determiner, a pronoun, or an adverb, indicating a small amount or degree without specifying a precise quantity.

As a determiner before uncountable nouns, wenig marks a small amount: wenig Zeit, wenig Geld, wenig Wasser. With countable plural nouns, the form is usually wenige: wen­ige Leute, wenige Chancen. The term can also appear as a noun in the capitalized form das Wenige, meaning "the small amount" or "the little that remains."

As an adverb, wenig modifies verbs or clauses: Ich habe wenig Zeit. Er arbeitet wenig. It also participates in phrases such as wenig später ("a little later").

Wenig has comparative and superlative forms to express lesser quantities or degrees: weniger (less) and am wenigsten (the least). For example: Das ist weniger Zeitfresser als gestern; Das ist am wenigsten sinnvoll.

Etymologically, wenig stems from Germanic roots and has cognates in other West Germanic languages, such as Dutch weinig.

Usage notes: wenig is neutral in itself, signaling a small amount. The phrase zu wenig conveys insufficiency or deficiency and carries a negative connotation. In contrast, etwas mehr oder genügend is used to indicate larger or adequate amounts.

Related terms include viel (much/many), mehr (more), and genug (enough). Eine häufige formale Variante ist das Wenige, which may appear in literary or formal contexts. Wenig is also a German surname.