kecil
/kəˈt͡ʃil/
The English word "small" is translated into Indonesian as kecil.
Meaning: not large (adj)
Which one should you use?
While kecil is the standard form, kecik is used in informal speech.
How do you pronounce it?
/kəˈtʃil/
Did you know?
- The word kecil is inherited from Proto-Malayic *kəcil and shares a common ancestor with the word kucil, which means 'isolated' or 'shunned'.
- While kecil describes size, the word sedikit is used for 'small' when referring to quantity or amount. Using kecil to describe a small amount of water would be considered incorrect.
- The word kecil is often paired with besar (big) to create the phrase besar kecil, which functions as a collective term meaning 'all sizes'.
Examples in context
- Ini sebuah desa kecil.This is a small village.This sentence shows how to describe a village using kecil.Tatoeba #12543513 by HAGNi, translation #3933907 by felvideki
- Ini adalah dunia kecil.It's a small world.This sentence uses kecil to express the idiom 'small world'.Tatoeba #2475543 by menyo, translation #271093 by CK
- Rumah itu sangat kecil.That house is very small.This sentence demonstrates using kecil to describe the size of a house.Tatoeba #3804775 by orion17, translation #68537 by CK
- Buku ini memiliki ukuran yang kecil.This book has a small size.
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sari and Adi are looking at a puppy.
- SariLihat, anak anjing ini sangat kecil!Look, this puppy is very small!
- AdiIya, dia lucu sekali.Yes, he is very cute.
- SariApakah kamu mau memelihara hewan kecil?Do you want to keep a small animal?
- AdiTentu, aku suka anjing kecil.Of course, I like small dogs.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “small” translations and entries kecil, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kecil, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
