few / less / to lack / to be missing / to stop (doing sth) / seldom
少
=
丿
+
小
:
Mnemonic symbol: 少 looks like a smiley face.
There's a food shortage (少) in the aorta, and Sherlock Holmes (sh) and Smiley (少) are looking for food in the living room (ao3). There's only one banana (丿) left. Soon they'll have to eat the many daisies (小) which are growing there.
Buddhist temple / mosque / government office (old)
寺
=
土
+
寸
:
Socrates (s) built a Buddhist temple (寺) in the space station's bathroom (Ø4). To protect it from being destroyed while floating around in zero gravity, he built a protective frame made out of mud (土) around it. After finishing it he inspects it and thinks "thumbs up" (寸), because he is proud of his work.