Little in Different Languages
Discover 'Little' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'little' holds a significant place in our language, often used to describe something small in size or amount. But did you know it can also mean 'young' or 'unimportant'? This versatile word has been used in various ways across different cultures and languages. For instance, in Spanish, 'little' translates to 'poco' or 'pequeño', while in French, it's 'petit' or 'peu'. In German, you'd use 'klein' or 'wenig'.
Throughout history, 'little' has been a source of inspiration for many. From fairy tales like 'Little Red Riding Hood' to songs like 'Little Sister', this word has woven itself into the fabric of our stories and traditions. Moreover, understanding the translation of 'little' in different languages can provide unique insights into how other cultures perceive and express smallness or insignificance.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or just curious, delving into the translations of 'little' is a journey worth embarking on.
Little
Little in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | min | ||
| "Min" in Afrikaans, meaning "little," is also used idiomatically to denote a small amount or an insignificant person. | |||
| Amharic | ትንሽ | ||
| The word 'ትንሽ' can also be used to mean 'some' or 'a little'. | |||
| Hausa | kadan | ||
| The word "kadan" can also mean "small" or "young" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | obere | ||
| Igbo has three etymologies for 'obere', the diminutive: ' obere ' (a baby boy), ' obere ' (a younger sibling), and ' obere ' (a junior relation in a family). | |||
| Malagasy | little | ||
| In Malagasy, the word "little" can also mean "young" or "immature". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | pang'ono | ||
| In addition to meaning "little" or "small," pang'ono can also refer to an adverb meaning "a little bit" or "slightly." | |||
| Shona | zvishoma | ||
| Zvishoma can also mean "little by little" or "gradually". | |||
| Somali | yar | ||
| Somali "yar" also means "small" in Arabic and is used to indicate something that is small or insignificant. | |||
| Sesotho | hanyane | ||
| In Sesotho, the diminutive prefix “hanyane” has the additional meaning of “beloved.” | |||
| Swahili | kidogo | ||
| Kidogo is also a diminutive term of endearment. | |||
| Xhosa | encinci | ||
| The root '-nci' is the same as the root of the word 'uncinci' (small, slightly) and the suffix '-ana' (small, diminutive). | |||
| Yoruba | diẹ | ||
| In Benin, "diẹ" can also mean "to come", like in the phrase "diẹ wálé" (come home). | |||
| Zulu | okuncane | ||
| Okuncane, the Zulu word for little, is also used figuratively to describe something that is unimportant or insignificant | |||
| Bambara | misɛn | ||
| Ewe | sue | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bike | ||
| Lingala | moke | ||
| Luganda | -tono | ||
| Sepedi | nnyane | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kakra | ||
Little in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | قليل | ||
| The Arabic word "قليل" (little) also refers to scarcity or insignificance. | |||
| Hebrew | קטן | ||
| The Hebrew word 'קטן' (small) can also mean “young” or “minor. | |||
| Pashto | لږ | ||
| The word "لږ" can also mean "few" or "less". | |||
| Arabic | قليل | ||
| The Arabic word "قليل" (little) also refers to scarcity or insignificance. | |||
Little in Western European Languages
| Albanian | pak | ||
| Pak can also mean "short" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | gutxi | ||
| The root is also present in the word “gutixa” (“a tiny bit”) or “gutixiar” (“to reduce, to diminish”). | |||
| Catalan | poc | ||
| The Catalan word "poc" is derived from the Latin word "paucus". It can also mean "few" or "not much". | |||
| Croatian | malo | ||
| "Malo" can also refer to a child or offspring | |||
| Danish | lille | ||
| The word 'lille' can also mean 'small' or 'short' in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | weinig | ||
| Cognate of many similar-sounding words in West Germanic languages like "wenig" (German), "weenig" (West Frisian),"wineg" (Norwegian), "weinig" (Afrikaans) | |||
| English | little | ||
| The word "little" derives from the Old English word "lytel," which meant "small" or "insignificant." | |||
| French | peu | ||
| The word "peu" can also mean "few" or "not much". | |||
| Frisian | lyts | ||
| Lyts is cognate with the Old Saxon "luttik" and the German "klein" and also means "small" and "modest" in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | pouco | ||
| In medieval Galician, "pouco" could also mean "few" or "not many," reflecting its Indo-European root meaning "small in number". | |||
| German | wenig | ||
| The word "wenig" is cognate with the English word "want" and originally meant "lacking" or "insufficient". | |||
| Icelandic | lítið | ||
| The Icelandic word "lítið" comes from the Old Norse word "líta", meaning "to see" or "to observe". | |||
| Irish | beag | ||
| The word “beag” can also mean "small" or "short" in Irish. | |||
| Italian | piccolo | ||
| The word "piccolo" can also refer to a small musical instrument, a type of clarinet. | |||
| Luxembourgish | wéineg | ||
| Wéineg is derived from the Old High German word 'wīnag', meaning 'friend' or 'companion'. It has also been used in Luxembourgish to refer to a small child or a term of endearment. | |||
| Maltese | ftit | ||
| The Maltese word "ftit" derives from the Arabic word "qalil" or "qill", both meaning "little". | |||
| Norwegian | litt | ||
| Litt in Norwegian can also mean "a bit" or "slightly". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | pouco | ||
| The Portuguese word 'pouco' can also mean 'few' or 'a bit'. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | beag | ||
| Beag is cognate with Old Irish "beg," Welsh "bach," and Latin "paucus," and can also mean "few" in Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | pequeño | ||
| The word "pequeño" originates from Latin "piccinus," meaning "very small". | |||
| Swedish | liten | ||
| The word "liten" in Swedish can also refer to "thin" or "narrow" in some contexts, a meaning which is not shared by the English word "little". | |||
| Welsh | ychydig | ||
| The word "ychydig" is thought to derive from the Proto-Celtic word "*iskos", meaning "few." | |||
Little in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | мала | ||
| The word "мала" also means "few" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | malo | ||
| The word "malo" can also refer to a child or the youngest member of a family. | |||
| Bulgarian | малко | ||
| The word "малко" can also be used to refer to a moment or a while "почакай малко" | |||
| Czech | málo | ||
| The word "málo" can also mean "a few" or "small in number" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | vähe | ||
| The word "vähe" is also related to the words "viha" (anger), "vaegus" (deficit), "vaene" (poor). | |||
| Finnish | vähän | ||
| It is related to the Estonian word "vähe" and the Hungarian word "kevés," both meaning "few" | |||
| Hungarian | kis | ||
| The Hungarian word "kis" also has a secondary meaning as "nice" or "beloved". | |||
| Latvian | maz | ||
| The word "maz" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "mek-", meaning "small" or "narrow"} | |||
| Lithuanian | mažai | ||
| The Lithuanian word "mažai" may also refer to the root "mazgoju", meaning to wash, or the word "maža", meaning a drop. | |||
| Macedonian | малку | ||
| The word "малку" can also mean "not much" or "few" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | mało | ||
| The word "mało" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "malъ", which also means "few". | |||
| Romanian | puțin | ||
| The Romanian word "puțin" can also mean "rarely" and "few". | |||
| Russian | маленький | ||
| "Маленький" may also mean short, young, insignificant, minor, humble, and tender in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | мало | ||
| The word "мало" can also mean "rare", "few", or "hardly". | |||
| Slovak | málo | ||
| "Málo" means "very" in a colloquial sense, and "small child" in archaic usage. | |||
| Slovenian | malo | ||
| The word "malo" can also mean "a little bit" or "slightly". | |||
| Ukrainian | мало | ||
| The Ukrainian word "мало" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *malъ, meaning "small", "few", or "insignificant." | |||
Little in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সামান্য | ||
| The word "সামান্য" is derived from the Sanskrit word "सामान्य" meaning "common" or "ordinary". | |||
| Gujarati | થોડું | ||
| In addition to meaning "little," "થોડું" can also mean "some" or "a few." | |||
| Hindi | थोड़ा | ||
| Hindi थोड़ा also means "a small quantity" in addition to "a little bit." | |||
| Kannada | ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ | ||
| The word "ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ" can also mean "a part" or "a small amount". | |||
| Malayalam | അല്പം | ||
| The word "അല്പം" ("alpam") is also used in the sense of a "small amount" or "a little bit". | |||
| Marathi | थोडे | ||
| The word "थोडे" in Marathi comes from the Sanskrit word "तुदे" meaning "to break" or "to divide". | |||
| Nepali | सानो | ||
| Also written as sānu, sano means "young or junior" in Nepali, and also can refer to younger generations, or siblings. | |||
| Punjabi | ਥੋੜਾ | ||
| The word ਥੋੜਾ originated from the Sanskrit word 'अल्प' (alpa), which also means little or small. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කුඩා | ||
| The Sinhalese word 'කුඩා' may be derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kewd- ('short') and is also related to the Sanskrit word 'कुड्य' ('hunchback'). | |||
| Tamil | கொஞ்சம் | ||
| In Tamil, "கொஞ்சம்" can also mean "a little bit," "slightly," or "a few." | |||
| Telugu | కొద్దిగా | ||
| The word "కొద్దిగా" is derived from the Sanskrit word "कुत्" (kut), meaning "small". It can also mean "a little bit", "a few", or "a small amount". | |||
| Urdu | تھوڑا | ||
| The word 'تھوڑا' also connotes a sense of 'some' or 'a bit' | |||
Little in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 小 | ||
| 小 refers to something junior, insignificant, narrow, or delicate. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 小 | ||
| 小 is also a common component in the Chinese name of plants, animals, and objects to denote their small size. | |||
| Japanese | 少し | ||
| "少し" is a Japanese word that can mean "a little bit," "few," or "briefly." | |||
| Korean | 작은 | ||
| The word "작은" can also be used to refer to something that is insignificant or unimportant. | |||
| Mongolian | бага | ||
| Mongolian 'бага' is cognate with the Turkic word 'bak' and the Persian 'baag', all of which mean 'farm' or 'garden'. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နည်းနည်း | ||
| The reduplicated form "နည်းနည်း" (pronounced [ɲéɲéɲé]) means "little" in the sense of small or insignificant, and also denotes humility or endearment. | |||
Little in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sedikit | ||
| The word 'sedikit' in Indonesian can also mean 'slightly' in English. | |||
| Javanese | sithik | ||
| The word "sithik" is also used as a term of endearment for young children or someone who is young at heart. | |||
| Khmer | តិចតួច | ||
| Lao | ນ້ອຍ | ||
| The Lao word ນ້ອຍ can also mean "few," "a short time," or "younger than others in age or status." | |||
| Malay | sedikit | ||
| The word "sedikit" can also mean "few" in Indonesian. | |||
| Thai | เล็กน้อย | ||
| In Thai, "เล็กน้อย" can also mean "slightly" or "a bit". | |||
| Vietnamese | ít | ||
| The word “ít” has additional meanings of “lacking” or “insufficient”. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maliit | ||
Little in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | az | ||
| In certain contexts, "az" can also refer to "slight" or "faint" | |||
| Kazakh | кішкентай | ||
| The word "кішкентай" can also mean "small" or "young" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кичинекей | ||
| The word "кичинекей" can also mean "dear child" or "darling" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | каме | ||
| "Каме" is derived from "Кам" (few) but also can be used as "Little" with a slightly different meaning and usage. | |||
| Turkmen | az | ||
| Uzbek | oz | ||
| In Uzbek, "oz" can also mean "self" or "own". | |||
| Uyghur | ئازراق | ||
Little in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | liʻiliʻi | ||
| The Hawaiian word "liʻiliʻi" can also refer to something precious, delicate, or a beloved person. | |||
| Maori | iti | ||
| The word "iti" can also be used to convey the idea of "cute" or "beautiful". | |||
| Samoan | laʻititi | ||
| The word also has the alternate meaning of "few" or "a small number." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kaunti | ||
| "Kaunti" is an archaic word meaning "small amount", and was the origin of the word "unti-unti" (little by little). | |||
Little in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jisk'a | ||
| Guarani | michĩ | ||
Little in International Languages
| Esperanto | malmulte | ||
| "Multe" derives from Latin "multus," meaning "much," thereby suggesting "malmulte" (literally meaning "very little") is an antonym that "says what it doesn't say," using "much" to mean "not much" | |||
| Latin | paulo | ||
| Paulo can also mean "gradually" or "slowly" in Latin. | |||
Little in Others Languages
| Greek | λίγο | ||
| The word 'λίγο' in Greek can also mean 'few' or 'a little bit of'. | |||
| Hmong | tsawg | ||
| The Hmong word "tsawg" also means "small" or "short". | |||
| Kurdish | kêm | ||
| Kurdish "kêm" comes from Old Iranian *kam- or *kamm-, also in Avestan as "kaēm" and means both "small, few" and "deficient". | |||
| Turkish | küçük | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning, "küçük" can also refer to something that is young or immature, and can be used as a term of endearment. | |||
| Xhosa | encinci | ||
| The root '-nci' is the same as the root of the word 'uncinci' (small, slightly) and the suffix '-ana' (small, diminutive). | |||
| Yiddish | ביסל | ||
| The Yiddish word "ביסל" ("bisl") can also mean "a bit," "some," or "a little bit." | |||
| Zulu | okuncane | ||
| Okuncane, the Zulu word for little, is also used figuratively to describe something that is unimportant or insignificant | |||
| Assamese | অলপ | ||
| Aymara | jisk'a | ||
| Bhojpuri | छोट | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުޑަ | ||
| Dogri | लौहका | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maliit | ||
| Guarani | michĩ | ||
| Ilocano | bassit | ||
| Krio | smɔl | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کەم | ||
| Maithili | कम | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯔꯥ | ||
| Mizo | te | ||
| Oromo | xiqqoo | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅଳ୍ପ | ||
| Quechua | uchuy | ||
| Sanskrit | किञ्चित् एव | ||
| Tatar | аз | ||
| Tigrinya | ንእሽተይ | ||
| Tsonga | switsongo | ||