Tiny in Different Languages
Discover 'Tiny' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'tiny' holds a special place in our hearts and language, describing anything that is very small in size or amount. Its significance goes beyond mere measurement, often conveying a sense of charm, intimacy, or insignificance. Tiny objects and creatures can be endearing, delicate, or even powerful, as seen in the widespread popularity of 'tiny houses' and 'tiny but mighty' phrases.
Throughout history, tiny has played a role in various cultural contexts. In literature, authors like Jonathan Swift have used 'tiny' to create fantastical worlds, while in science, innovations like nanotechnology explore the potential of the minuscule. Moreover, the concept of 'tiny' transcends linguistic barriers, making its translations in different languages intriguing and valuable.
Imagine enhancing your vocabulary, connecting with people worldwide, or simply marveling at the diversity of languages by learning how to say 'tiny' in various tongues. Here are a few examples to spark your curiosity:
- French: minuscule
- Spanish: diminuto
- German: winzig
- Italian: minuscolo
- Japanese: ちいさい (chiisai)
- Chinese: 小 (xiǎo)
- Russian: маленький (malen'kiy)
- Korean: 작아요 (jaka-yo)
Discover more translations of 'tiny' and deepen your appreciation for the nuances of language and culture.
Tiny
Tiny in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | klein | ||
| The Afrikaans word "klein" is cognate with the German "klein" and the English "clean", suggesting an alternate meaning of "unsoiled" or "spotless". | |||
| Amharic | ጥቃቅን | ||
| "ጥቃቅን" is also used in Amharic to refer to a small amount or quantity of something. | |||
| Hausa | karami | ||
| The word "karami" in Hausa can also mean "very important" or "expensive." | |||
| Igbo | pere mpe | ||
| The word 'pere mpe' in Igbo can also mean 'very small' or 'insignificant'. | |||
| Malagasy | kely | ||
| The Malagasy word 'kely' also means 'little one', 'young one', or 'child'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kakang'ono | ||
| The word "kakang'ono" in Nyanja (Chichewa) may also refer to a short person or a small thing. | |||
| Shona | diki | ||
| In Shona, "diki" also refers to a small amount or quantity. | |||
| Somali | yar | ||
| The word "yar" can also mean "a little bit" or "a small amount". | |||
| Sesotho | nyane | ||
| The word "nyane" in Sesotho can also mean "a little bit" or "a small amount". | |||
| Swahili | vidogo | ||
| The word "vidogo" is derived from the Proto-Bantu word "-dogo" meaning "small". | |||
| Xhosa | incinci | ||
| The word "incinci" also means "precious" or "dear" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | kekere | ||
| The word 'kekere' in Yoruba can also mean 'young' or 'small in size'. | |||
| Zulu | ncanyana | ||
| "Ncanyana" in Zulu also refers to a child or young one. | |||
| Bambara | dɔgɔmani | ||
| Ewe | sue | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gito | ||
| Lingala | moke | ||
| Luganda | -tono | ||
| Sepedi | lehlokwana | ||
| Twi (Akan) | hweaa | ||
Tiny in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | صغير جدا | ||
| The word "صغير جدا" also means "very small" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | זָעִיר | ||
| "זָעִיר" is a Hebrew word for "tiny" and also means "small" and "short". | |||
| Pashto | وړوکی | ||
| The Pashto word "وړوکی" can also be used as a term of endearment. | |||
| Arabic | صغير جدا | ||
| The word "صغير جدا" also means "very small" in Arabic. | |||
Tiny in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i vogël | ||
| In Albanian, 'i vogël' literally means 'the small', as opposed to 'i vogëlush', which refers to an actual tiny thing. | |||
| Basque | txiki-txikia | ||
| The Basque word "txiki-txikia" also refers to "small animals" or "something small and cute". | |||
| Catalan | minúscul | ||
| The word minúscul, derived from Latin minūtus "small, little, reduced," originally meant "weak" before acquiring its current meaning. | |||
| Croatian | sitan | ||
| "Sitan" is of an uncertain origin, it might be derived from Proto-Slavic *sъtenъ, or be a loan from Hungarian "setten". | |||
| Danish | lille bitte | ||
| The word "lille bitte" literally means "little bit" in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | klein | ||
| "Klein" can also mean "narrow" or "little". | |||
| English | tiny | ||
| In the early 15th century, "tiny" came from "tyne" meaning "small, insignificant thing". | |||
| French | minuscule | ||
| The French term 'minuscule' originates from the Latin 'minusculus' meaning 'rather small', and is also used in calligraphy to refer to a particular script style developed in the 8th century. | |||
| Frisian | lyts | ||
| Frisian word "lyts" is related to Old Saxon and Dutch "luttik" and "klein" in German, meaning small. | |||
| Galician | minúsculo | ||
| The word "minúsculo" in Galician ultimately derives from the Latin word "minutus" meaning "small" or "lessened". | |||
| German | sehr klein | ||
| Despite the etymology of 'sehr klein' as 'painfully little,' the word is now commonly used to mean simply 'tiny'. | |||
| Icelandic | pínulítill | ||
| The word **'pínulítill'** is etymologically related to the Old Norse term pinuliti meaning **'very little'.** | |||
| Irish | beag bídeach | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, "beagan" is used as a noun for "a bit" or "a little". | |||
| Italian | minuscolo | ||
| "Minuscolo" also means "lowercase letter" in Italian, deriving from the Latin minuscula littera, "small letter." | |||
| Luxembourgish | kleng | ||
| In the Luxembourgish language, the word "kleng" not only means "small" but also "short" or "young." | |||
| Maltese | ċkejken | ||
| The word "ċkejken" is derived from the Arabic word "shkayk" meaning "little one." | |||
| Norwegian | liten | ||
| In Old Norse, "liten" also meant "small" or "short" and could refer to both objects and people. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | minúsculo | ||
| The word "minúsculo" comes from the Latin word "minūtus", meaning "small or trifling". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | beag bìodach | ||
| The word “beag bìodach” in Scots Gaelic is more literally translated to “little living being” in English. | |||
| Spanish | minúsculo | ||
| "Minúsculo" comes from the Latin "minutum", meaning "divided" or "small". | |||
| Swedish | mycket liten | ||
| The word "mycket liten" (literally "very small") is not as commonly used as "liten" ("small"), but it has the same meaning. | |||
| Welsh | bach iawn | ||
| The word "bach iawn" can also mean "very" or "much" in Welsh, indicating a high degree or quantity of something. | |||
Tiny in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | малюсенькі | ||
| The word is diminutive of "маленький" and comes from the Proto-Slavic diminutive "malŭkъ" that also meant "small, worthless". | |||
| Bosnian | malen | ||
| The word "malen" is also used in the expression "malen kao mak" (small as a poppy seed) to describe something very small. | |||
| Bulgarian | мъничък | ||
| The root of the word "мъничък" is the Proto-Slavic word "*mal", meaning "small". | |||
| Czech | drobný | ||
| The word "drobný" in Czech can also mean "small" or "insignificant". | |||
| Estonian | pisike | ||
| Pisike derives from the Finnic word *pikk-, meaning "small" or "short", and has cognates in many Ugric languages, such as Hungarian "piciny" and Komi "pötik". | |||
| Finnish | pikkuruinen | ||
| The term 'pikkuruinen' is the diminutive form of 'pikkuinen', which means 'small' in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | apró | ||
| The word "apró" also means "slight" or "insignificant" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | sīks | ||
| The word "sīks" is also used to describe something that is unimportant or trivial. | |||
| Lithuanian | mažas | ||
| The word "mažas" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "meg-h-os", meaning "small". | |||
| Macedonian | ситни | ||
| ''Ситни'' probably comes from the Proto-Slavic word ''*sъtьnъ'', meaning ''frequent''. | |||
| Polish | malutki | ||
| The Polish word "malutki" likely derives from the Slavic verb "malti" (to be small) and shares its root with the Proto-Slavic word "*malъ" (little). | |||
| Romanian | minuscul | ||
| The Romanian word minuscul is derived from the Latin word minusculus, meaning "very small" | |||
| Russian | крошечный | ||
| The word "крошечный" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *kъrsъ, meaning "to cut", and is related to the Russian word "крошить" ("to crumble"). | |||
| Serbian | сићушан | ||
| The word "сићушан" is derived from the Proto-Slavic *sitь, meaning "fine" or "small". It is related to the Russian word "сити" (sity), meaning "full" or "abundant", and the Czech word "sytý" (syty), meaning "satiated" or "satisfied". In modern Serbian, "сићушан" is used to describe something that is very small in size or quantity. | |||
| Slovak | maličký | ||
| The word "maličký" in Slovak comes from the Old Slavic word "mal" (small), and also has the meaning of "little child" or "baby". | |||
| Slovenian | drobna | ||
| The word "drobna" can also mean "petty" or "trivial". | |||
| Ukrainian | крихітний | ||
| The word "крихітний" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root "*kъrtъ", which also means "little" or "short". | |||
Tiny in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ক্ষুদ্র | ||
| The Bangla word "ক্ষুদ্র" is thought to have derived from the Sanskrit word "क्षुद्र" which may also refer to evil, low or mean. | |||
| Gujarati | નાનું | ||
| The word "નાનું" ("tiny") may also refer to a measurement of size (length or weight) used by jewelers and grocers. | |||
| Hindi | छोटे | ||
| The word छोटे can also refer to a younger sibling or a member of a lower social class. | |||
| Kannada | ಸಣ್ಣ | ||
| The word "ಸಣ್ಣ" can also mean "fine or subtle". | |||
| Malayalam | ചെറുത് | ||
| Marathi | लहान | ||
| The word "लहान" in Marathi originates from a Prakrit word meaning "short" or "inferior". | |||
| Nepali | सानो | ||
| The word "सानो" is cognate with "छोटा" in Hindi and "chhota" in Sanskrit, all meaning "small" | |||
| Punjabi | ਛੋਟਾ | ||
| ਛੋਟਾ (chhota) in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඉතා කුඩායි | ||
| Tamil | சிறியது | ||
| The word 'சிறியது' in Tamil can also mean 'inferior' or 'insignificant'. | |||
| Telugu | చిన్నది | ||
| చిన్నది is also an adjective used to describe small children, small animals, or small objects and can also refer to something insignificant or unimportant. | |||
| Urdu | چھوٹے | ||
| چھوٹے' (chhote): In addition to meaning "tiny," it also means "younger" and "inferior" in Urdu. | |||
Tiny in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 小 | ||
| 小 means “young” or “younger” when used as a prefix to a person’s name; as a suffix, it means “the younger” after a person’s generation or seniority. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 小 | ||
| 小 can also mean something insignificant or unimportant. | |||
| Japanese | 小さな | ||
| The kanji 小 (pronounced "chi" or "ko") can also mean "little" or "young". | |||
| Korean | 작은 | ||
| The word "작은" is sometimes used in Korean to describe something that is "cute" or "adorable". | |||
| Mongolian | өчүүхэн | ||
| The word "өчүүхэн" in Mongolian also has the alternate meaning of "beloved one" or "cute one". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သေးငယ်သော | ||
Tiny in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mungil | ||
| "Mungil" can also refer to a small child or a doll. | |||
| Javanese | cilik-cilik | ||
| The word "cilik-cilik" in Javanese can also refer to something that is insignificant or unimportant. | |||
| Khmer | តូច | ||
| "តូច" can also mean "young one" or "child" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ຂະຫນາດນ້ອຍ | ||
| Malay | kecil | ||
| "Kecil" in Malay is also used figuratively to mean "young" or "unimportant". | |||
| Thai | ขนาดเล็ก | ||
| The word "ขนาดเล็ก" (pronounced 'kah-nah-aht lek') literally means 'small size' and is used to describe things that are very small in size. | |||
| Vietnamese | nhỏ bé | ||
| "Nhỏ bé" also means "small person" or "young lady". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maliit | ||
Tiny in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | kiçik | ||
| The word "kiçik" is also used to refer to something that is unimportant or insignificant. | |||
| Kazakh | кішкентай | ||
| The word "кішкентай" is also used to refer to something that is young or immature. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кичинекей | ||
| Though the word "кичинекей" means "tiny" in Kyrgyz, it is also used to describe something as "cute" or "lovely". | |||
| Tajik | ночиз | ||
| The Tajik word "ночиз" is derived from the Persian word "ناچیز" meaning "insignificant" or "nothing". | |||
| Turkmen | kiçijik | ||
| Uzbek | mayda | ||
| The word "mayda" is etymologically related to the Mongolian word "mayag" | |||
| Uyghur | كىچىك | ||
Tiny in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | liʻiliʻi | ||
| The word "liʻiliʻi" also denotes endearment, humility, or smallness in a specific context. | |||
| Maori | iti | ||
| The term 'iti' in Māori can also refer to the concept of 'smallness' or 'insignificance' in a metaphorical sense. | |||
| Samoan | laʻititi | ||
| The word "laʻititi" in Samoan can also refer to something that is insignificant, useless, or worthless, or even a trifle, a nothing, a nothing at all. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | maliliit | ||
| The word "maliliit" is also used to describe the youngest child in a family. | |||
Tiny in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jisk'aki | ||
| Guarani | mirĩ | ||
Tiny in International Languages
| Esperanto | eta | ||
| "Eta" in Esperanto is not related to the Greek letter, but derives from French "étroit" (narrow). | |||
| Latin | minima | ||
| The Latin word "minima" also refers to a musical note or time value. | |||
Tiny in Others Languages
| Greek | μικροσκοπικός | ||
| The word "μικροσκοπικός" originally meant "belonging to the small world" in Greek, referring to the world of atoms and molecules. | |||
| Hmong | me quav | ||
| The word "me quav" can also be used to describe something that is insignificant or unimportant. | |||
| Kurdish | pito | ||
| "Pito" also means "tiny" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | çok küçük | ||
| The word ''çok küçük'' in Turkish literally means ''very small''. | |||
| Xhosa | incinci | ||
| The word "incinci" also means "precious" or "dear" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | קליינטשיק | ||
| In Yiddish, "kleyntshik" can also refer to a small or insignificant person or thing. | |||
| Zulu | ncanyana | ||
| "Ncanyana" in Zulu also refers to a child or young one. | |||
| Assamese | ক্ষুদ্ৰ | ||
| Aymara | jisk'aki | ||
| Bhojpuri | छोटहन | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުޑަ | ||
| Dogri | निक्का | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maliit | ||
| Guarani | mirĩ | ||
| Ilocano | bassit | ||
| Krio | smɔl smɔl | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بچووک | ||
| Maithili | छोट | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯄꯤꯛꯄ | ||
| Mizo | tereuhte | ||
| Oromo | xiqqishuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଛୋଟ | ||
| Quechua | uchuycha | ||
| Sanskrit | तुच्छ | ||
| Tatar | кечкенә | ||
| Tigrinya | ደቃቅ | ||
| Tsonga | xitsongo | ||