小さなお姫様
chiisana ohimesama
The English phrase 'little princess' is translated into Japanese as 小さなお姫様 (chiisana ohimesama).
小さなお姫様 can refer to a literal young female member of a royal family or to a young girl who is treated with great luxury and care. It is a phrase commonly used in storytelling, fairy tales or when describing a young girl in a highly idealized or pampered way.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of chiisana (little/small), the honorific prefix o, hime (princess) and the highly respectful honorific suffix sama.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
小さなお姫様 is a polite form. The use of the suffix -sama makes this phrase much more formal and respectful than using standard or casual suffixes like -san or -chan. An informal way to refer to a little princess is ちっちゃいお姫さま.
How do you pronounce it?
chiisana ohimesama
Did you know?
- In modern romantic contexts, a woman who acts like a hime may be described as having hime-shadan, or 'princess disease'.
- While hime means princess, in Japanese folklore, this term often describes spirits or deities of nature, such as a 'princess' of a mountain, rather than human royalty.
- While -sama is used here to show extreme respect, using it for a real person in a non-honorific context can actually sound sarcastic or mocking, as if you are treating them like a fictional character.
Examples in context
- お誕生日おめでとう、小さなお姫様！Happy birthday, little princess!
- 彼女は小さなお姫様のようです。Kanojo wa chiisana ohimesama no you desu.She is like a little princess.
- 小さなお姫様のお誕生日にプレゼントを贈ります。Chiisana ohimesama no otanjoubi ni purezento o okurimasu.I will give a present for the little princess's birthday.
- 小さなお姫様のように大切に育てられています。Chiisana ohimesama no you ni taisetsu ni sodaterarete imasu.She is being raised carefully, like a little princess.
Example conversation
Kenta is talking to Himari about her daughter.
- 健太 Kenta娘さんは本当に小さなお姫様ですね。Musumesan wa hontō ni chiisana ohimesama desu ne.Your daughter is truly a little princess, isn't she?
- 陽葵 Himariありがとうございます。でも、わがままですよ。Arigatō gozaimasu. Demo, wagamama desu yo.Thank you. But she is spoiled.
- 健太 Kentaそれがまた可愛いところです。Sore ga mata kawaii tokoro desu.That's what makes her so cute.
- 陽葵 Himariそう言ってもらえると嬉しいです。Sō itte moraeru to ureshii desu.I'm glad to hear you say that.
