How to Say "Little Mouse" in Spanish

ratoncito

/ratonθito/from spelling rules

The Spanish phrase for "little mouse" is ratoncito.

ratoncito refers to a small mouse and is often used as a term of endearment.

What does it mean word for word?

The word is formed by combining ratón (mouse) with the diminutive suffix -cito (little).

To specify a female mouse, the ending changes from -o to -a, resulting in ratoncita.

/ratonθito/

The word ratón is derived from the Vulgar Latin rattus, which was borrowed from a Proto-Germanic source rather than Classical Latin.
While ratoncito is a cute term of endearment, calling a person ratón or ratoncito can sometimes imply they are being 'sneaky' or 'shrewd' like a rodent.
If you were to use the word for a large mouse, you might use the suffix -ón instead, which can actually change the meaning to something much bigger or more intense.

Acabo de comprarme un ratoncito.
I've just bought a little mouse.
This sentence is useful for practicing the use of ratoncito.
Tatoeba #7930037 by Seael, translation #7964856 by fpp
El ratoncito le dio un regalo a la niña.
The little mouse gave a gift to the girl.
¡Mira qué ratón tan lindo!
Look at that cute little mouse!
El niño cree que hay una rata en el armario, pero en realidad es solo un ratón.
The child thinks there's a rat in the closet, but it's actually just a little mouse.
El ratoncito tiene las orejas grandes.
The little mouse has big ears.
Mira ese ratoncito en el jardín.
Look at that little mouse in the garden.

Daniel and Lucía are looking at a picture book together.

Sources

IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries ratoncito, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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