What is the dictionary form of sukunai?


I've been learning adjective conjugations and I've understood that to
conjugate an adjective into its negative form you drop the last syllable (～い
syllable) and add くない. However, I've run into the word すくない which has left me
puzzled. It seems to be the negative conjugation of a word but I don't see
which one.




[As answered](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/32482/11830), 少ない is not a
negative form of an adjective, but rather already the dictionary form.

It is only coincidentally pronounced the same way as the negative form of
other い-adjectives.

It might be interesting to know that [the dictionary entry of
すくない](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/117871/meaning/m0u/) also shows
alternative kanji (including archaic versions), where the only kana visible
after the kanji is い. So it appears the stem of the adjective stops at すくな.

> すくな・い【少ない／×尠い／▽寡い】

Further, some dictionaries even [list it as
少い](http://ejje.weblio.jp/content/%E5%B0%91%E3%81%84), albeit as an
alternative form of 少ない.

So it appears the word originally, or principally, came in the form 少い, but
because of the ease of misuse/confusion, adopted the more verbose version 少ない
as the dictionary form.

See [the wikipedia entry on
送りがな:](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%80%81%E3%82%8A%E3%81%8C%E3%81%AA)

> 少ない - 原則通りであれば「少い」となるが、この送りがなで打消表現を書くと「少くない」となって、これが却って「すくない」とも読まれる可能性がある。

Some other adjectives that behave like this, but do not appear to adopt the
same usage are:

  * 幼い
  * 儚い




The misunderstanding here is that this isn't the negative conjugation of the
word 少｛すく｝ない. This is the dictionary form. The negative conjugation of 少｛すく｝ない
is 少｛すく｝なくない.

