Can 若干 (Jakkan) be used as a substitute for 少し?


As I understand it 若干 means 'some'. Can it be used the to substitute 少し when
not talking about the specific quantity of more or less but using it as a
vague descriptor like 'some'?

若干問題があった vs 少し問題があった。




  * 若干 is more formal or literary than 少し.
  * 少し is "a little" or "small amount", whereas 若干 is closer to "some" or "certain amount". 若干の問題 is usually a little more serious than 少しの問題, but they may be interchangeable depending on the context.
  * Only 少し can mean "for a while". 少し話をする is okay but 若干話をする is not.

