How to Say "Small" in Malay - How To Say Guide

kecil

/kəˈt͡ʃel/

The Malay word for small is kecil.

The word kecil is used to describe something that is not large in physical size, such as a small apartment or a small waist.

Meaning: not large (adj)

Which one should you use?

While kecil refers to physical size, the informal term Sikit is used specifically to describe something that is small in quantity or amount.

In the Northern Malaysian dialect, the informal term kecik is used for small.

/kəˈtʃel/

While kecil refers to size, the related term kecil hati translates literally as 'small heart' but actually means to feel disappointed or offended.
The phrase kecil-kecil cili padi uses the word kecil to describe a bird's eye chili, serving as an idiom for someone who is small in stature but very fierce or talented.
In Indonesia and Malaysia, the phrase anak kecil literally means 'small child', but it is also used as a gentle way to describe someone acting childishly.

Mennad tinggal di sebuah apartmen kecil yang tidak jauh dari sini.
Mennad lives in a small apartment not far from here.
This sentence shows how to describe the size of a living space using kecil.
Tatoeba #10652959 by imperiex, translation #8047895 by OsoHombre
Mary mempunyai pinggang yang kecil.
Mary has a small waist.
This sentence uses kecil to describe a body part.
Tatoeba #10580086 by LeeSooHa, translation #10580076 by CK
T-shirt ini terlalu kecil untuk saya.
This T-shirt is too small for me.
This sentence uses kecil to describe the fit of clothing.
Tatoeba #661214 by sestersparrow, translation #61377 by CK
Rumah kecil
Small house
Pagar yang kecil
Small fence
Buku kecil
Small book
3 more sentences on Tatoeba

Ahmad and Nur are shopping for a gift at a market.

Sources

Wiktionary, “small” translations and entries kecil, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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