Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| кро́шечный | króšečnyj | |
| кро́хотный | króxotnyj | |
| малю́сенький | maljúsenʹkij | colloquial |
| ме́лкий | mélkij |
These words are used to describe things that are very small in size. While кро́шечный and кро́хотный refer to the physical dimensions of an object, the word ме́лкий is used specifically for small particles like sand or salt or to describe shallow water.
What does it mean word for word?
The adjective кро́шечный is derived from the noun крошка, which means "crumb".
Which one should you use?
кро́шечный and кро́хотный are used to describe the physical size of an object, whereas ме́лкий is used for small particles like sand or salt or for shallow water.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
малю́сенький is a diminutive, more affectionate or colloquial way to say something is tiny, similar to "teeny-weeny" in English. In informal settings, you might also encounter the term Крошка as an endearing way to describe someone or something as tiny.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective кро́шечный must change its ending to agree with the gender and number of the noun it describes: use кро́шечная for feminine nouns, кро́шечное for neuter nouns and кро́шечные for plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
króšečnyj
Did you know?
- If you call someone ме́лкий to their face, you are not calling them physically small, but rather insulting their character as being insignificant or unimportant.
- The word малю́сенький is a double diminutive, meaning it has two suffixes added to the root to make the object sound even smaller and cuter.
- In Russian, the term мелочёвка comes from ме́лкий and refers specifically to 'small change' or a collection of unimportant, trivial tasks.
Examples in context
- Это крошечный магазинThis is a tiny store.
Example conversation
Alexander and Anastasia are looking at a piece of jewelry.
- Александр AleksandrПосмотри, какой кро́шечный бриллиант!Posmotri, kakoy kroshechny brilliant!Look, what a tiny diamond!
- Анастасия AnastasiaДа, но он очень красивый.Da, no on ochen' krasivyy.Yes, but it is very beautiful.
- Александр AleksandrОн почти незаметен на кольце.On pochti nezameten na koltse.It is almost invisible on the ring.
- Анастасия AnastasiaВ этом и заключается его прелесть.V etom i zaklyuchayetsya yego prelest'.That's where its charm lies.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tiny” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
