小さい

Japanese
See also 小さな
Kanji in this term
小
ちい
Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Alternative forms

Etymology

/tipisasi/ → /tifisasi/ → /t͡ɕihisaɕi/ → /t͡ɕiːsaɕi/ → /t͡ɕiːsai/

Ultimate derivation uncertain.

The initial chi element appears in other words with similar meanings of small, such as ちょっと (chotto, “a little bit”, adverb), from ちっと (chitto), from even earlier ちと (chito).

Possibly related to ちび (chibi, “small and round”, often with overtones of cuteness), itself apparently derived from 粒 (tsubu, “small round thing”, such as a grain of rice).[1]

Pronunciation

Adjective

小さい (-i inflection, hiragana ちいさい, rōmaji chīsai, historical hiragana ちひさい)

  1. (of size or amount) small, little, tiny
    • 1906, Natsume Sōseki, Botchan‎:
      , text here:
      教 (きょう)師 (し)は二人 (ふたり)だ。大 (おお)きい奴 (やつ)と、小 (ちい)さい奴 (やつ)だ。
      Kyōshi wa futari da. Ōkii yatsu to, chīsai yatsu da.
      There were two teachers. A big one, and a little one.
  2. (of age) young, little

Usage notes

As an adjective directly modifying a noun, may be used largely interchangeably with 小さな (chīsana), the -na adjective form. In predicative use, only 小さい (chīsai) may be used: あれは*小さだ (are wa *chīsa da) is incorrect grammar.

Inflection
Inflection of 小さい
Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形) 小さかろ ちいさかろ chīsakaro
Continuative (連用形) 小さく ちいさく chīsaku
Terminal (終止形) 小さい ちいさい chīsai
Attributive (連体形) 小さい ちいさい chīsai
Hypothetical (仮定形) 小さけれ ちいさけれ chīsakere
Imperative (命令形) 小さかれ ちいさかれ chīsakare
Key constructions
Informal negative 小さくない ちいさくない chīsaku nai
Informal past 小さかった ちいさかった chīsakatta
Informal negative past 小さくなかった ちいさくなかった chīsaku nakatta
Formal 小さいです ちいさいです chīsai desu
Formal negative 小さくないです ちいさくないです chīsaku nai desu
Formal past 小さかったです ちいさかったです chīsakatta desu
Formal negative past 小さくなかったです ちいさくなかったです chīsaku nakatta desu
Conjunctive 小さくて ちいさくて chīsakute
Conditional 小さければ ちいさければ chīsakereba
Provisional 小さかったら ちいさかったら chīsakattara
Volitional 小さかろう ちいさかろう chīsakarō
Adverbial 小さく ちいさく chīsaku
Degree 小ささ ちいささ chīsasa

Antonyms

Derived terms

References
  1. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
  3. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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