Small in Different Languages
Discover 'Small' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'small' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, often used to describe things that are diminutive in size or amount. Its cultural importance is evident in various aspects of our lives, from fairy tales featuring small characters like the Three Little Pigs, to the concept of 'small&>big' in business, which emphasizes efficiency and intimacy over size. Understanding the translation of 'small' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how other cultures perceive and interact with the world around them.
Did you know that in ancient Greece, 'small' was used to describe a type of coin, the 'lepton,' which was the smallest denomination? Or that in Japan, the word 'small' (chiisana) can also imply cuteness, as seen in the popular phrase 'kawaii,' which means 'lovely' or 'cute'?
Explore the many translations of 'small' and discover the unique cultural nuances they convey. Here are a few to get you started:
Small
Small in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | klein | ||
| The word "klein" in Afrikaans also means "petty" or "insignificant". | |||
| Amharic | ትንሽ | ||
| The word "ትንሽ" can also mean "a little" or "a bit" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | karami | ||
| The word "karami" in Hausa can also refer to a small amount or quantity, or to something that is insignificant or unimportant. | |||
| Igbo | obere | ||
| "Obere" also means "small" in several other African languages, such as Yoruba, Ebira, and Igala. | |||
| Malagasy | kely | ||
| The word "KELY" also translates to "short" in Malagasy, indicating a size or length that is below average. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | yaying'ono | ||
| In some contexts, "yaying'ono" means "young" or "immature" rather than or in addition to "small." | |||
| Shona | diki | ||
| Etymology: "diki" may have originated from the Proto-Bantu word "*dike" meaning "small" or "short". | |||
| Somali | yar | ||
| Yar also means 'child' in the context of animals. | |||
| Sesotho | nyane | ||
| The word "nyane" can also refer to a child or something young. | |||
| Swahili | ndogo | ||
| "Ndogo" also means "young" in Kiyao, a Bantu language spoken in Mozambique and Tanzania. | |||
| Xhosa | encinci | ||
| In Xhosa, "encinci" means "small," but can also be used metaphorically to refer to something that is insignificant or trivial. | |||
| Yoruba | kekere | ||
| The word "kekere" in Yoruba can also refer to that which is young, undeveloped, or inferior in quality. | |||
| Zulu | okuncane | ||
| "Okuncane" also means "younger sibling" and can be the term of endearment for one's younger sibling. | |||
| Bambara | fitinin | ||
| Ewe | sue | ||
| Kinyarwanda | nto | ||
| Lingala | moke | ||
| Luganda | -tono | ||
| Sepedi | nnyane | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ketewa | ||
Small in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | صغير | ||
| صغير (small) is also used colloquially to indicate youth or immaturity. | |||
| Hebrew | קָטָן | ||
| The root of "קָטָן" appears in the word "קטנות" (smallness), which suggests a state of being insignificant or lacking importance. | |||
| Pashto | وړه | ||
| In Pashto, "وړه" also has alternate meanings of "child" or "younger brother". | |||
| Arabic | صغير | ||
| صغير (small) is also used colloquially to indicate youth or immaturity. | |||
Small in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i vogël | ||
| "I vogël" can also mean "the child" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | txikia | ||
| "Tchiki" may also refer to a type of Basque cheese. | |||
| Catalan | petit | ||
| In Catalan, "petit" can also refer to livestock or an appetizer | |||
| Croatian | mali | ||
| Mali is related to the words 'mal' in Polish and 'malý' in Czech, all meaning 'small' or 'little'. | |||
| Danish | lille | ||
| In Northern Jutland, the word "lille" can also mean "bad" or "miserable". | |||
| Dutch | klein | ||
| The word "klein" is related to the German "klein" (meaning "small") and the English "clean," which originally meant "small" or "fine." | |||
| English | small | ||
| The word "small" derives from the Proto-Germanic word "smallaz", meaning "narrow". | |||
| French | petit | ||
| The word 'petit' is also used colloquially to mean a young person or child | |||
| Frisian | lyts | ||
| The word "lyts" is cognate with the Old English word "līt" and the Dutch word "luttel". | |||
| Galician | pequenas | ||
| The word "pequenas" can also mean "little girls" in Galician, which is related to its diminutive form "pequeniñas." | |||
| German | klein | ||
| German 'klein' comes from Proto-Germanic 'klainaz', also the root of English 'clean'. | |||
| Icelandic | lítill | ||
| "Lítill" can also mean "meek" or "humble" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | beag | ||
| The word "beag" can also mean "little" or "insignificant" in Irish. | |||
| Italian | piccolo | ||
| The word "piccolo" can also mean "a flageolet", a woodwind instrument smaller than a flute. | |||
| Luxembourgish | kleng | ||
| The word "kleng" also means "young" or "inexperienced" in Luxembourgish, similar to its use in German as "klein". | |||
| Maltese | żgħir | ||
| The Maltese word "żgħir" is related to the Arabic word "صغير" (ṣaghīr), which also means "small." | |||
| Norwegian | liten | ||
| The word "liten" originally meant "light" in Old Norse, and is related to the English word "light". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | pequeno | ||
| The word "pequeno" originates from the Latin word "pecus," meaning "cattle" or "small livestock". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | beag | ||
| The Gaelic word "beag" can also refer to a "small amount of liquid" or to "a short time period" | |||
| Spanish | pequeña | ||
| The word "pequeña" is derived from the Latin "parvus", meaning "small" or "insignificant". | |||
| Swedish | små | ||
| The word "små" in Swedish is derived from Proto-Norse "smah" meaning "narrow" or "thin". It can also refer to "few" or "a small amount". | |||
| Welsh | bach | ||
| The Welsh word "bach" also means "hook" | |||
Small in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | маленькі | ||
| The word "маленькі" in Belarusian is cognate with the Russian word "маленький" and the Polish word "mały", all meaning "small". | |||
| Bosnian | mali | ||
| The word "mali" in Bosnian can also refer to a child, a spouse, or a dear friend. | |||
| Bulgarian | малък | ||
| "Ма́лък" (small) and "младене́ц" (baby) in Bulgarian are cognate words, reflecting that babies are typically small. | |||
| Czech | malý | ||
| The word "malý" also means "few" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | väike | ||
| The Estonian word "väike" also means "minor" or "younger" in certain contexts. | |||
| Finnish | pieni | ||
| The word "pieni" can also mean "few" or "a little bit". | |||
| Hungarian | kicsi | ||
| The word "kicsi" originates from the Turkic word "kiçik", meaning "small" or "young", and is cognate with the Turkish word "küçük" and the Azerbaijani word "kiçik". | |||
| Latvian | mazs | ||
| The word "mazs" has a diminutive form, "mazītiņš", which expresses extreme smallness. | |||
| Lithuanian | mažas | ||
| "Mažas" (small) is cognate with "megas" (large) in Greek and "measure" in English, indicating an original meaning of "proportionate". | |||
| Macedonian | мали | ||
| The word "мали" in Macedonian, meaning "small," is cognate with the Serbo-Croatian word "mali," meaning "small," and with the Bulgarian word "малък," also meaning "small." | |||
| Polish | mały | ||
| The word "mały" can also be used to describe something that is insignificant, unimportant, or contemptible. | |||
| Romanian | mic | ||
| The word "mic" in Romanian also means "affectionate" and is used as a term of endearment. | |||
| Russian | маленький | ||
| The word "маленький" (small) is derived from the Proto-Slavic *malъ, which also means "young" or "weak" | |||
| Serbian | мали | ||
| The word 'mali' can also mean 'few' or 'little' in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | malý | ||
| The word "malý" in Slovak also has the meaning of "young" or "immature." | |||
| Slovenian | majhna | ||
| The word 'majhna' can also refer to something delicate or insignificant. | |||
| Ukrainian | маленький | ||
Small in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ছোট | ||
| The word "ছোট" is also used to describe something that is unimportant or insignificant. | |||
| Gujarati | નાના | ||
| "નાનું" can also mean "younger" or "minor" depending on the context and it is derived from the Sanskrit word "नानः" (nānah), meaning "various" or "diverse." | |||
| Hindi | छोटा | ||
| The word "छोटा" can also mean "younger" or "minor" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಸಣ್ಣ | ||
| The word "small" in Kannada is related to the word "sanna" which means "small" or "young". | |||
| Malayalam | ചെറുത് | ||
| ചെറുത് (cheruth) is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root *cur-, meaning 'short' or 'young', and is related to words like 'short', 'young', and 'minor' in other Dravidian languages. | |||
| Marathi | लहान | ||
| The word "लहान" can also refer to a small child or baby in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | सानो | ||
| "सानो" is also used as a suffix to indicate endearment or respect in Nepali, such as in the word "भान्जीसानो" (dear niece). | |||
| Punjabi | ਛੋਟਾ | ||
| The word "ਛੋਟਾ" can also refer to a young or undeveloped animal or person in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කුඩා | ||
| Sinhala "කුඩා" means "small" and is also used to refer to a younger sibling or child. | |||
| Tamil | சிறிய | ||
| "சிறிய" (small) also means "young" or "immature". | |||
| Telugu | చిన్నది | ||
| The word "చిన్నది" can also refer to a child or a younger sibling. | |||
| Urdu | چھوٹا | ||
| The word 'چھوٹا' in Urdu has connotations of 'younger' or 'inferior', and can be used as a term of endearment for children or as a respectful form of address for juniors. | |||
Small in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 小 | ||
| "小" can also refer to something young or immature, as in "小朋友" (xiǎo péngyou, young children). | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 小 | ||
| 小 can also mean "young" or "insignificant". | |||
| Japanese | 小さい | ||
| The word "小さい" (small) can also mean "young," and is often used to refer to children or animals. | |||
| Korean | 작은 | ||
| The word '작은' can also refer to 'young' or 'immature', especially when used to describe people or animals. | |||
| Mongolian | жижиг | ||
| The root of the word "жижиг" is the suffix "-вг"". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သေးငယ်သည် | ||
Small in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kecil | ||
| The word "kecil" in Indonesian can also refer to something that is young or immature. | |||
| Javanese | cilik | ||
| In Javanese, 'cilik' can also describe something delicate, cute, or fragile. | |||
| Khmer | តូច | ||
| There is also the phrase “ទាបតូច” (dob tuoch) which means “short stature”. | |||
| Lao | ຂະຫນາດນ້ອຍ | ||
| Malay | kecil | ||
| In Indonesian, "kecil" can also mean "unimportant" or "insignificant". | |||
| Thai | เล็ก | ||
| In Thai, the word "เล็ก" ("small") also means "small intestine", and it is related to the word "ลูก"" ("child") or "ลูก" ("fruit") because, just like with kids and fruits, the small intestine is attached to the big intestine. | |||
| Vietnamese | nhỏ | ||
| "Nhỏ" can be a noun meaning "little girl," a pronoun meaning "you" in the northern part of Vietnam, and an adjective meaning "feminine." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maliit | ||
Small in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | kiçik | ||
| "Kiçik" also means "young" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | кішкентай | ||
| The word "кішкентай" is a diminutive form of the word "кіші" (person), which is also used to refer to children or young animals. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кичинекей | ||
| The word "кичинекей" literally means "the size of a fingernail" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | хурд | ||
| The word “хурд” is also used to refer to a small amount of something. | |||
| Turkmen | kiçi | ||
| Uzbek | kichik | ||
| Uyghur | كىچىك | ||
Small in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | liʻiliʻi | ||
| 'Liʻiliʻi' also refers to an edible seaweed that grows in the winter. | |||
| Maori | iti | ||
| In some contexts, "iti" can refer to a diminutive form or a child of something. | |||
| Samoan | laʻititi | ||
| "Laʻititi" also means "a tiny fraction" or "a little bit" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | maliit | ||
| "Maliit" (small) stems from "mali" (small, little) and can also refer to something unimportant, inferior, or insignificant. | |||
Small in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jisk'a | ||
| Guarani | michĩ | ||
Small in International Languages
| Esperanto | malgranda | ||
| The Esperanto word "malgranda" derives from the French word "magranda" meaning "very large". | |||
| Latin | parvus | ||
| Parvus, the Latin word for 'small', shares its root with the words 'parsimony' and 'pariah'. | |||
Small in Others Languages
| Greek | μικρό | ||
| The word "μικρό" in Greek can also refer to a "little" or "short" distance, or to something "insignificant". | |||
| Hmong | me me | ||
| The repetition of "me" can also be a self-referential term for a younger sibling or the youngest child in the family. | |||
| Kurdish | biçûk | ||
| "Biçûk" ayrıca "küçük bir şey" veya "sevimli bir şey" anlamına da gelebilir. | |||
| Turkish | küçük | ||
| Küçük is also used figuratively to mean | |||
| Xhosa | encinci | ||
| In Xhosa, "encinci" means "small," but can also be used metaphorically to refer to something that is insignificant or trivial. | |||
| Yiddish | קליין | ||
| The Yiddish word קליין (kleyne) can also mean 'change' or 'petty' in the sense of 'money', e.g. קליינגעלט (kleyngelt) means 'small change'. | |||
| Zulu | okuncane | ||
| "Okuncane" also means "younger sibling" and can be the term of endearment for one's younger sibling. | |||
| Assamese | সৰু | ||
| Aymara | jisk'a | ||
| Bhojpuri | छोट | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުޑަ | ||
| Dogri | लौहका | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maliit | ||
| Guarani | michĩ | ||
| Ilocano | bassit | ||
| Krio | smɔl | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بچووک | ||
| Maithili | छोट | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯄꯤꯛꯄ | ||
| Mizo | te | ||
| Oromo | xiqqoo | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଛୋଟ | ||
| Quechua | uchuy | ||
| Sanskrit | लघु | ||
| Tatar | кечкенә | ||
| Tigrinya | ንኡስ | ||
| Tsonga | xitsongo | ||