Small in Different Languages
Discover 'Small' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Small
Afrikaans klein | ||
Albanian i vogël | ||
Amharic ትንሽ | ||
Arabic صغير | ||
Armenian փոքր | ||
Assamese সৰু | ||
Aymara jisk'a | ||
Azerbaijani kiçik | ||
Bambara fitinin | ||
Basque txikia | ||
Belarusian маленькі | ||
Bengali ছোট | ||
Bhojpuri छोट | ||
Bosnian mali | ||
Bulgarian малък | ||
Catalan petit | ||
Cebuano gamay | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 小 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 小 | ||
Corsican chjucu | ||
Croatian mali | ||
Czech malý | ||
Danish lille | ||
Dhivehi ކުޑަ | ||
Dogri लौहका | ||
Dutch klein | ||
English small | ||
Esperanto malgranda | ||
Estonian väike | ||
Ewe sue | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) maliit | ||
Finnish pieni | ||
French petit | ||
Frisian lyts | ||
Galician pequenas | ||
Georgian პატარა | ||
German klein | ||
Greek μικρό | ||
Guarani michĩ | ||
Gujarati નાના | ||
Haitian Creole piti | ||
Hausa karami | ||
Hawaiian liʻiliʻi | ||
Hebrew קָטָן | ||
Hindi छोटा | ||
Hmong me me | ||
Hungarian kicsi | ||
Icelandic lítill | ||
Igbo obere | ||
Ilocano bassit | ||
Indonesian kecil | ||
Irish beag | ||
Italian piccolo | ||
Japanese 小さい | ||
Javanese cilik | ||
Kannada ಸಣ್ಣ | ||
Kazakh кішкентай | ||
Khmer តូច | ||
Kinyarwanda nto | ||
Konkani ल्हान | ||
Korean 작은 | ||
Krio smɔl | ||
Kurdish biçûk | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) بچووک | ||
Kyrgyz кичинекей | ||
Lao ຂະຫນາດນ້ອຍ | ||
Latin parvus | ||
Latvian mazs | ||
Lingala moke | ||
Lithuanian mažas | ||
Luganda -tono | ||
Luxembourgish kleng | ||
Macedonian мали | ||
Maithili छोट | ||
Malagasy kely | ||
Malay kecil | ||
Malayalam ചെറുത് | ||
Maltese żgħir | ||
Maori iti | ||
Marathi लहान | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯑꯄꯤꯛꯄ | ||
Mizo te | ||
Mongolian жижиг | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) သေးငယ်သည် | ||
Nepali सानो | ||
Norwegian liten | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) yaying'ono | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଛୋଟ | ||
Oromo xiqqoo | ||
Pashto وړه | ||
Persian کم اهمیت | ||
Polish mały | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) pequeno | ||
Punjabi ਛੋਟਾ | ||
Quechua uchuy | ||
Romanian mic | ||
Russian маленький | ||
Samoan laʻititi | ||
Sanskrit लघु | ||
Scots Gaelic beag | ||
Sepedi nnyane | ||
Serbian мали | ||
Sesotho nyane | ||
Shona diki | ||
Sindhi ننو | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) කුඩා | ||
Slovak malý | ||
Slovenian majhna | ||
Somali yar | ||
Spanish pequeña | ||
Sundanese leutik | ||
Swahili ndogo | ||
Swedish små | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) maliit | ||
Tajik хурд | ||
Tamil சிறிய | ||
Tatar кечкенә | ||
Telugu చిన్నది | ||
Thai เล็ก | ||
Tigrinya ንኡስ | ||
Tsonga xitsongo | ||
Turkish küçük | ||
Turkmen kiçi | ||
Twi (Akan) ketewa | ||
Ukrainian маленький | ||
Urdu چھوٹا | ||
Uyghur كىچىك | ||
Uzbek kichik | ||
Vietnamese nhỏ | ||
Welsh bach | ||
Xhosa encinci | ||
Yiddish קליין | ||
Yoruba kekere | ||
Zulu okuncane |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "klein" in Afrikaans also means "petty" or "insignificant". |
| Albanian | "I vogël" can also mean "the child" in Albanian. |
| Amharic | The word "ትንሽ" can also mean "a little" or "a bit" in Amharic. |
| Arabic | صغير (small) is also used colloquially to indicate youth or immaturity. |
| Armenian | The Armenian word "փոքր" also has the alternate meaning of "young" or "junior". |
| Azerbaijani | "Kiçik" also means "young" in Azerbaijani. |
| Basque | "Tchiki" may also refer to a type of Basque cheese. |
| Belarusian | The word "маленькі" in Belarusian is cognate with the Russian word "маленький" and the Polish word "mały", all meaning "small". |
| Bengali | The word "ছোট" is also used to describe something that is unimportant or insignificant. |
| Bosnian | The word "mali" in Bosnian can also refer to a child, a spouse, or a dear friend. |
| Bulgarian | "Ма́лък" (small) and "младене́ц" (baby) in Bulgarian are cognate words, reflecting that babies are typically small. |
| Catalan | In Catalan, "petit" can also refer to livestock or an appetizer |
| Cebuano | The word "gamay" also means "hand" or "to hold something" in Cebuano. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | "小" can also refer to something young or immature, as in "小朋友" (xiǎo péngyou, young children). |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 小 can also mean "young" or "insignificant". |
| Corsican | The Corsican word 'chjucu' is thought to derive from the Latin 'cicinus' or the Proto-Indo-European root 'keu-ko' meaning 'rounded' or 'curved'. |
| Croatian | Mali is related to the words 'mal' in Polish and 'malý' in Czech, all meaning 'small' or 'little'. |
| Czech | The word "malý" also means "few" in Czech. |
| Danish | In Northern Jutland, the word "lille" can also mean "bad" or "miserable". |
| Dutch | The word "klein" is related to the German "klein" (meaning "small") and the English "clean," which originally meant "small" or "fine." |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "malgranda" derives from the French word "magranda" meaning "very large". |
| Estonian | The Estonian word "väike" also means "minor" or "younger" in certain contexts. |
| Finnish | The word "pieni" can also mean "few" or "a little bit". |
| French | The word 'petit' is also used colloquially to mean a young person or child |
| Frisian | The word "lyts" is cognate with the Old English word "līt" and the Dutch word "luttel". |
| Galician | The word "pequenas" can also mean "little girls" in Galician, which is related to its diminutive form "pequeniñas." |
| German | German 'klein' comes from Proto-Germanic 'klainaz', also the root of English 'clean'. |
| Greek | The word "μικρό" in Greek can also refer to a "little" or "short" distance, or to something "insignificant". |
| Gujarati | "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." |
| Haitian Creole | The Haitian Creole word "piti" ultimately derives from the French "petit" (small), but it also has the alternate meaning of "a little bit" or "a small amount". |
| Hausa | The word "karami" in Hausa can also refer to a small amount or quantity, or to something that is insignificant or unimportant. |
| Hawaiian | 'Liʻiliʻi' also refers to an edible seaweed that grows in the winter. |
| Hebrew | The root of "קָטָן" appears in the word "קטנות" (smallness), which suggests a state of being insignificant or lacking importance. |
| Hindi | The word "छोटा" can also mean "younger" or "minor" in Hindi. |
| Hmong | The repetition of "me" can also be a self-referential term for a younger sibling or the youngest child in the family. |
| Hungarian | 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". |
| Icelandic | "Lítill" can also mean "meek" or "humble" in Icelandic. |
| Igbo | "Obere" also means "small" in several other African languages, such as Yoruba, Ebira, and Igala. |
| Indonesian | The word "kecil" in Indonesian can also refer to something that is young or immature. |
| Irish | The word "beag" can also mean "little" or "insignificant" in Irish. |
| Italian | The word "piccolo" can also mean "a flageolet", a woodwind instrument smaller than a flute. |
| Japanese | The word "小さい" (small) can also mean "young," and is often used to refer to children or animals. |
| Javanese | In Javanese, 'cilik' can also describe something delicate, cute, or fragile. |
| Kannada | The word "small" in Kannada is related to the word "sanna" which means "small" or "young". |
| Kazakh | The word "кішкентай" is a diminutive form of the word "кіші" (person), which is also used to refer to children or young animals. |
| Khmer | There is also the phrase “ទាបតូច” (dob tuoch) which means “short stature”. |
| Korean | The word '작은' can also refer to 'young' or 'immature', especially when used to describe people or animals. |
| Kurdish | "Biçûk" ayrıca "küçük bir şey" veya "sevimli bir şey" anlamına da gelebilir. |
| Kyrgyz | The word "кичинекей" literally means "the size of a fingernail" in Kyrgyz. |
| Latin | Parvus, the Latin word for 'small', shares its root with the words 'parsimony' and 'pariah'. |
| Latvian | The word "mazs" has a diminutive form, "mazītiņš", which expresses extreme smallness. |
| Lithuanian | "Mažas" (small) is cognate with "megas" (large) in Greek and "measure" in English, indicating an original meaning of "proportionate". |
| Luxembourgish | The word "kleng" also means "young" or "inexperienced" in Luxembourgish, similar to its use in German as "klein". |
| Macedonian | 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." |
| Malagasy | The word "KELY" also translates to "short" in Malagasy, indicating a size or length that is below average. |
| Malay | In Indonesian, "kecil" can also mean "unimportant" or "insignificant". |
| Malayalam | 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. |
| Maltese | The Maltese word "żgħir" is related to the Arabic word "صغير" (ṣaghīr), which also means "small." |
| Maori | In some contexts, "iti" can refer to a diminutive form or a child of something. |
| Marathi | The word "लहान" can also refer to a small child or baby in Marathi. |
| Mongolian | The root of the word "жижиг" is the suffix "-вг"". |
| Nepali | "सानो" is also used as a suffix to indicate endearment or respect in Nepali, such as in the word "भान्जीसानो" (dear niece). |
| Norwegian | The word "liten" originally meant "light" in Old Norse, and is related to the English word "light". |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | In some contexts, "yaying'ono" means "young" or "immature" rather than or in addition to "small." |
| Pashto | In Pashto, "وړه" also has alternate meanings of "child" or "younger brother". |
| Persian | The Persian word "کم اهمیت" (kam ahamiyat) literally means "little importance" or "low significance." |
| Polish | The word "mały" can also be used to describe something that is insignificant, unimportant, or contemptible. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The word "pequeno" originates from the Latin word "pecus," meaning "cattle" or "small livestock". |
| Punjabi | The word "ਛੋਟਾ" can also refer to a young or undeveloped animal or person in Punjabi. |
| Romanian | The word "mic" in Romanian also means "affectionate" and is used as a term of endearment. |
| Russian | The word "маленький" (small) is derived from the Proto-Slavic *malъ, which also means "young" or "weak" |
| Samoan | "Laʻititi" also means "a tiny fraction" or "a little bit" in Samoan. |
| Scots Gaelic | The Gaelic word "beag" can also refer to a "small amount of liquid" or to "a short time period" |
| Serbian | The word 'mali' can also mean 'few' or 'little' in Serbian. |
| Sesotho | The word "nyane" can also refer to a child or something young. |
| Shona | Etymology: "diki" may have originated from the Proto-Bantu word "*dike" meaning "small" or "short". |
| Sindhi | The word "ننو" meaning "small" in Sindhi is cognate with the Sanskrit word "नुनु" meaning "small thing" or "atom". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | Sinhala "කුඩා" means "small" and is also used to refer to a younger sibling or child. |
| Slovak | The word "malý" in Slovak also has the meaning of "young" or "immature." |
| Slovenian | The word 'majhna' can also refer to something delicate or insignificant. |
| Somali | Yar also means 'child' in the context of animals. |
| Spanish | The word "pequeña" is derived from the Latin "parvus", meaning "small" or "insignificant". |
| Sundanese | The word "leutik" can also mean "shallow" or "young". |
| Swahili | "Ndogo" also means "young" in Kiyao, a Bantu language spoken in Mozambique and Tanzania. |
| Swedish | 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". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | "Maliit" (small) stems from "mali" (small, little) and can also refer to something unimportant, inferior, or insignificant. |
| Tajik | The word “хурд” is also used to refer to a small amount of something. |
| Tamil | "சிறிய" (small) also means "young" or "immature". |
| Telugu | The word "చిన్నది" can also refer to a child or a younger sibling. |
| Thai | 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. |
| Turkish | Küçük is also used figuratively to mean |
| Urdu | 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. |
| Vietnamese | "Nhỏ" can be a noun meaning "little girl," a pronoun meaning "you" in the northern part of Vietnam, and an adjective meaning "feminine." |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "bach" also means "hook" |
| Xhosa | In Xhosa, "encinci" means "small," but can also be used metaphorically to refer to something that is insignificant or trivial. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word קליין (kleyne) can also mean 'change' or 'petty' in the sense of 'money', e.g. קליינגעלט (kleyngelt) means 'small change'. |
| Yoruba | The word "kekere" in Yoruba can also refer to that which is young, undeveloped, or inferior in quality. |
| Zulu | "Okuncane" also means "younger sibling" and can be the term of endearment for one's younger sibling. |
| English | The word "small" derives from the Proto-Germanic word "smallaz", meaning "narrow". |