細小 / 细小
xìxiǎo
A standard way to say tiny in Chinese is 細小 / 细小 (xìxiǎo), written 細小 in traditional and 细小 in simplified characters. If unsure, use 細小 / 细小. Wiktionary also lists 微細 / 微细 (wēixì) and 小小 (xiǎoxiǎo).
Meaning: very small (adj)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 細小 / 细小 | xìxiǎo |
| 微細 / 微细 | wēixì |
| 小小 | xiǎoxiǎo |
| 孑孑 | jiéjié |
細小 describes physical smallness or fineness, such as a very small object or fine detail.
Which one should you use?
小小 (xiǎoxiǎo) adds a sense of cuteness or endearment and stresses that something is little in a harmless way. 微細 / 微细 (wēixì) is typical of technical, scientific or formal writing about microscopic particles and very fine details. 微小 is another formal word for tiny, and 极小 means extremely small or minuscule.
How does it change in a sentence?
The doubled form 小小 can go directly before a noun, as in 小小的人, a tiny or little person.
How do you pronounce it?
細小 is pronounced xìxiǎo in pinyin, with a falling tone on the first syllable and a dipping third tone on the second.
Did you know?
- In certain classical or poetic contexts, the character 孑 (jié) can be used to describe something tiny, but it often carries the additional connotation of being lonely or solitary.
- The character 細 used in 細小 (xìxiǎo) originally depicted long, thin threads of silk, which is why the word conveys both 'tiny' and 'fine' or 'detailed'.
- While 細小 describes size, Chinese has a related concept called 小巧 (xiǎoqiǎo), which describes something tiny specifically because it is delicately and cleverly made.
Examples in context
- 我们需要将我们的设备缩小到微小的尺寸。We need to downsize our devices to a tiny size.
- 别担心，只是一点微不足道的错误。Don't worry, it's just a tiny insignificant mistake.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tiny” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
