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How to say 'Small' in Japanese | 小さい

Wondering how to say 'Small' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Small is 'Chiisai', written as 小さい in Japanese.'Small' in hiragana is ちいさい.

    Meaning

    Small

    Reading

    ちいさい

    chiisai

    Kanji

    Small

    Explanation

    The Japanese adjective '小さい (ちいさい)' means 'small'. It is used to describe something that has a relatively small size or volume. This adjective can be applied to objects, animals, or even abstract concepts. For example: my cat is small「私の猫は小さい」(わたしのねこはちいさい). This room is small「この部屋は小さい」(このへやはちいさい). When modifying a noun, it is often used as in '小さい猫 (ちいさいねこ) (small cat)'. The adjective is versatile and commonly used in everyday conversation.

    Part Of Speech

    adjective

    Kanji JLPT

    N5

    Kanji Grade

    1

    Frequency

    644

    Composition

    kanji-hiragana

    Handwriting

This word is an i-adjective. To learn how it transforms in different tenses and forms, explore all its conjugations.

Kanji in the Word 小さい

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Small

Hiragana in the Word 小さい

This word contains 2 Hiragana characters :

  • hiragana

    Reading

    Sa
  • hiragana

    Reading

    I

Words Related to 小さい Through the Kanji

These 24 Words contain the Kanji 小 as well.

  • word

    小さな

    Meaning

    Small

  • word

    小学生

    Meaning

    Elementary student

  • word

    小学校

    Meaning

    Elementary

  • word

    小説

    Meaning

    Novel

  • word

    小包

    Meaning

    Parcel

  • word

    Meaning

    Small

  • word

    小川

    Meaning

    Stream

  • word

    小雨

    Meaning

    Drizzle

  • word

    小屋

    Meaning

    Hut

  • word

    小売店

    Meaning

    Retail store

  • word

    小便

    Meaning

    Urine, Urination

  • word

    小量

    Meaning

    Small amount

  • word

    小学

    Meaning

    Elementary

  • word

    小指

    Meaning

    Pinkie

  • word

    小遣い

    Meaning

    Pocket money

  • word

    縮小

    Meaning

    Reduction

  • word

    小型

    Meaning

    Small size

  • word

    小鳥

    Meaning

    Bird

  • word

    小麦

    Meaning

    Wheat

  • word

    小麦粉

    Meaning

    Flour

  • word

    小児科

    Meaning

    Pediatrics

  • word

    大小

    Meaning

    Size, Importance

  • word

    最小

    Meaning

    Minimum

  • word

    小児

    Meaning

    Child

Learn the Word 小さい

Let's make sure you fully understand this word.

What does 'Chiisai' (小さい) mean?

'Chiisai' means 'Small' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.