ちいさい
chiisaiadjective
In hiragana, "small" is ちいさい (chiisai). Before a noun you can also use ちいさな (chiisana), which means the same thing.
Meaning: small in size (adjective)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ちいさい | chiisai | adjective |
| ちいさな | chiisana | before a noun |
ちいさい works both ways: ちいさいねこ (chiisai neko) is a small cat and このねこはちいさい (kono neko wa chiisai) says the cat is small. ちいさな only goes before a noun.
Which one should you use?
In casual speech people often say ちっちゃい (chicchai), which sounds cute and is common with children. The opposite is おおきい (ōkii).
Did you know?
- The kanji 小さい (chiisai) is the same 小 (shō) found in しょうがっこう (shōgakkō), elementary school.
Examples in context
- ちいさいかばんをかいました。Chiisai kaban o kaimashita.I bought a small bag.
- ちいさなこえではなしてください。Chiisana koe de hanashite kudasai.Please speak in a small voice.
- このへやはちいさいです。Kono heya wa chiisai desu.This room is small.
Example conversation
Nao shops for a bag with the clerk Ms. Mori in Yokohama.
- Naoもうすこしちいさいかばんはありますか。Mō sukoshi chiisai kaban wa arimasu ka.Do you have a slightly smaller bag?
- Ms. Moriはい、こちらはいかがですか。Hai, kochira wa ikaga desu ka.Yes, how about this one?
- Naoちょうどいいです。Chōdo ii desu.It is just right.
