Meanings
Prefix
1. small; little; slight
2. slightly less than; just about
3. somewhat; somehow
4. minor; petty
sometimes derogatory
Kanji used
small
Pitch accent
Top 6000
Used in vocabulary (292 in total)
hut; cabin; small theatre (theater); temporary playhouse; one's own house
small build; small stature; petite; small pattern
young girl; lass; adolescent female
small; small-sized; small-scale; miniature
mincing; chopping finely; short and repeated (movements) (e.g. trembling, stepping quickly); gradual; bit by bit
small bird; little bird
to bend one's head slightly to one side; to look slightly doubtful
little finger; pinky; little toe
belle; (town) beauty
(noble's) page
accessories; small articles; minor character; small fry; weak one
imp; elf; pixie; goblin; devilkin
10th month of the lunisolar calendar (traditional first month of winter, approx. November); late autumn; late fall
small bottle
hill; knoll
small room; closet; cubicle; booth; stall
small pine; young pine
small change; coins; small sum of money
path; lane
to bend one's head slightly to one side; to look slightly doubtful
(young) seductress; temptress; little devil; imp
to look down on; to treat with contempt; to treat disparagingly; to sneer at
smallish; on the small side; somewhat small; short swing of a bat, racquet, etc.
under one's arm; (in) the armpit
twig; spray
ripple (on water); wavelets
small tool; gadget; (stage) properties; prop; prop master
small window; fenestella; scuttle (type of hatch on a ship)
light snow
forearm
slightly difficult; somewhat bothersome; troublesome; peevish; querulous
slightly difficult; somewhat bothersome; troublesome; peevish; querulous
hyuganatsu (species of citrus, Citrus tamurana)
light rain; drizzle
short sleeved kimono (worn as an undergarment during the Heian period); padded silk garment
smallish; on the small side; somewhat small; short swing of a bat, racquet, etc.
koban; small oval gold coin used in the Edo period; oval; elliptical; small size (of paper)
young person; servant; errand boy in a samurai family; person of lowly status
small hawk or falcon (used for hunting); falconry (using small hawks or falcons)
kouta; traditional ballad accompanied by shamisen
slightly elevated
path; lane; small diameter; small radius
impudent; cheeky
dancing or jumping for joy
boy; child; youth; brat
boy; child; youth; brat
boy; child; youth; brat
to happen to hear; to overhear
small grain; small stature or ability
tip of the hand; (use of) one's hands; cheap trick; superficial wit; cheap; makeshift (e.g. measures)
impudence; cheekiness; impertinence
small theatre; kabuki performed in a small theatre; little performance; short acted scene; act
subdivision
small village; hamlet
sentiment; feeling
sentiment; feeling
tight turn; adaptability; flexibility; maneuverability
particular; hard to please; fussy
stylish; smart; chic; (arch.) conceited; (arch.) cheeky
(apportioning) in small amounts
a small force
delicate technique (in sumo, judo, etc.); little trick; subtle maneuver
puppy; small dog
kitten; small cat
young priest; scamp
provoking; rather annoying; (speaking ironically) darling
small restaurant; eating house
(arch.) small cedar; thin Japanese paper (used as tissue during the Edo period)
trifling matter; urination; urine
snugly; neatly; compactly; cosily
small number of people
small number of people
small saucepan; small pot
diligent; earnest; attentive to detail; brisk (working, moving); frequent (e.g. checking)
to happen to hear; to overhear
small insect; midge; vermicule
Indian summer (around November); mild late autumn weather; mild late fall weather
to look down on; to treat with contempt; to treat disparagingly; to sneer at
tenant farming
head of an organizational section; head of an organisational section
overhear; happened to hear that
fine pattern
neat; trim; tidy; pretty
skillful; clever; versatile; handy
small gate; side gate; wicket gate; side door
small build; small stature
little shop; small shop; my shop; low class whorehouse in Fujiwara (Edo period); low class brothel; passage formed under the eaves of houses after heavy snowfalls (Tōhoku region)
to look down on; to treat with contempt; to treat disparagingly; to sneer at
to bend one's head slightly to one side; to look slightly doubtful
teaspoon
small build; small size
small; small-sized; small-scale; miniature
small tatami room; extension of the main room of a home (in traditional palatial-style architecture); room smaller than four and a half tatami (in tea ceremony)
short steps; mincing stride; crotch; groin; thigh
lowercase letter; small letter
fool; someone beneath one's contempt
small and simple home
small horse; pony; foal; colt; filly
fine wrinkles; crow's feet
small tiger; light drinker; occasional drinker
one's son; you little bastard; you little brat
under one's arm; (in) the armpit
small businessman; petty trader
small room
small bucket
small garden; small place
small hand drum
one's son; you little bastard; you little brat
shrimp (infraorder Caridea); small shrimp, prawn or lobster
Little New Year (festival held on January 15); 14th-16th days of the first month of the year; Koshogatsu
path; lane
cheeky; saucy; pert
raised tatami-floored seating area (usu. in a Japanese restaurant); small separate dining room
clever; smart
casual dish (esp. Japanese food); simple dish
gauntlet (used in Kendo); bracer; fencing glove
small build; small stature; petite; small pattern
small bag; small satchel
mincing steps
cleverness
small tengu; promising young martial arts practitioner
Siberian blue robin (Luscinia cyane)
nearly half a day; approximately half a day
calf; small cow
stylish; smart; chic; (arch.) conceited; (arch.) cheeky
small household fly (e.g. fruit fly)
boy; child; youth; brat
quibble; pointless argument
subheading; subtitle
koshinbun (type of early Meiji-era newspaper); minor journal; local newspaper
lock of hair (on the side of the head)
small administrative unit (of a village)
komaru (type of playing cards)
parcel; package
small piece (e.g. of cloth)
small; narrow; single-breadth cloth (approx. 36 cm wide)
light or fine rain; drizzle
a small business
Heian era court lady's song (accompanying men's oouta); court lady singing a kouta; ditty; ballad; kyogen kouta; style of kyogen song based on the Muromachi songs, often love ballad
a little embarrassing; slightly embarrassed; somewhat ashamed
snugly; neatly; compactly; cosily
fool; someone beneath one's contempt
small portion; small serving
small chair
small plank; piece of wood
a little stylish; chic; trendy
Little Edo; town or neighbourhood with an old townscape reminiscent of Edo
young elephant; baby elephant
fool; someone beneath one's contempt
quibble; pointless argument
dancing or jumping for joy
secondary taro corm; daughter taro corm; taro cormel; taro bud
skirmish; brush (with the enemy); small fight with a military enemy; squabble; quarrel; brief argument
shrimp (infraorder Caridea); small shrimp, prawn or lobster
recovering slightly; making a small rally
laths; bamboo lathing; short kyogen dance, danced to chanted accompaniment
3-4 point (in go); komoku
just before noon; late-morning snack
delicate flavor; subtle feeling; subtlety; delicacy
mild late autumn day (around November); mild late fall day
rice bran
small roof (e.g. over the first storey of a building, a window, an attached shed or veranda, etc.); overhang
childish reaction (like that of an elementary school student); unsophisticated reaction
limbless wooden doll; kokeshi doll
short steps; mincing stride; crotch; groin; thigh
fox cub; little fox; small fox; juvenile fox
little shop; small shop; low class whorehouse in Fujiwara (Edo period); low class brothel; passage formed under the eaves of houses after heavy snowfalls (Tōhoku region)
small portion; small serving
sounding someone out; putting out a feeler; testing the waters; small jackpot (esp. pachinko)
shrimp (infraorder Caridea); small shrimp, prawn or lobster
sounding someone out; putting out a feeler; testing the waters; small jackpot (esp. pachinko)
small eggplant; Japanese yellow loosestrife (Lysimachia japonica)
chilly; a little cold
starting field not containing any 20-point cards (in hanafuda)
undulating melodic ornamentation or embellishment, esp. in folk and popular songs; unit of timber measurement
kid; young goat; goatling
armlock throw; forearm throw
warp rib weave cotton fabric (from Kokura)
kid; young goat; goatling
small mark; small target
diligent; earnest; attentive to detail; brisk (working, moving); frequent (e.g. checking)
delicate technique (in sumo, judo, etc.); little trick; subtle maneuver
intimate friend; close friend; bosom buddy; chum
fool; someone beneath one's contempt
unloading a barge; small pieces of fried tofu; palanquin that carried guests to and from the red light district
baby trout; troutling
chopping finely; slicing up finely; something chopped up finely
first verse of a nursery rhyme sung by children on cold days (similar to "It's Raining, It's Pouring")
neap tide
little tern (the official bird of Chiba); sterna albifrons
dimness; dimly lit place
moon on the night before a full moon; moon on the 14th day of the month (by the lunar calendar)
nagging; fault-finding
falconry (using small hawks or falcons)
kid; young goat; goatling
wrestler of the fourth highest rank
clave-like folk instrument; two bamboo pieces beaten together
clave-like folk instrument; two bamboo pieces beaten together
Dorcus rectus (species of stag beetle)
small strap tied at the waist of a hanpi
sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus)
small woman; young woman; young maid
lively or quick witted person
lively or quick witted person
lively or quick witted person
lively or quick witted person
(arch.) small purification wand; thinly cut hemp or paper mixed with rice (scattered as an offering to the gods)
falconry (using small hawks or falcons)
small girl
it is wiser to make money steadily over time; light gains make heavy purse; (lit.) better small takings than a large win
minor fluctuations (e.g. in a market); small movements
prop master; property master
neat; tidy; trim
doing or saying something a little stupid
doing or saying something a little stupid
small two-wheeler (e.g. moped)
Edo-period small-size single-sheet prints containing puzzles, short stories, etc.; Edo-period playbills
to rally a little (e.g. market)
walking with short steps; (arch.) errand boy
spindle tree; euonymus alatus f. ciliatodentatus
doing or saying something a little stupid
the 83 new LDP members of parliament elected in the Sept. 2005 general election; (lit.) children of (Junichiro) Koizumi
Typha orientalis
Siebold maple; acer sieboldianum
Reticulum (constellation); the Reticle
red-cheeked myna (Sturnus phillippensis); violet-backed starling
garden maple; komine maple; acer micranthum
diligent; earnest; attentive to detail; brisk (working, moving); frequent (e.g. checking)
mid-sized konoshiro gizzard shad (i.e. about 15 cm in size)
konara oak (Quercus serrata); pin oak
symphylan (any centipede-like arthropod of class Symphyla)
Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinerea)
smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
little madam; young and fashion-conscious woman married to a high-earning man
pygmy right whale (Caperea marginata)
little egret (Egretta garzetta)
Ephippianthus schmidtii (species of orchid)
little owl (Athene noctua)
lesser flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor)
Asian lesser white-toothed shrew (Crocidura shantungensis)
merlin (Falco columbarius); pigeon hawk
lesser roadrunner (Geococcyx velox)
black-browed reed warbler (Acrocephalus bistrigiceps)
Laysan albatross (Diomedea immutabilis)
common duckweed (Lemna minor); lesser duckweed
least auklet (Aethia pusilla)
hart's-tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium)
little ringed plover (Charadrius dubius)
Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis)
Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis)
dwarf eelgrass (Nanozostera japonica); Japanese eelgrass
pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps)
common clothes moth (Tineola biselliella)
Gomphina melanegis (species of Venus clam)
little Japanese horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus cornutus); Japanese lesser horseshoe bat
Old World forked fern (Dicranopteris linearis)
lesser spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos minor)
Old World forked fern (Dicranopteris linearis)
Burmeister's porpoise (Phocoena spinipinnis)
Haviside's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus heavisidii)
minke whale; piked whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
Ussuri tube-nosed bat (Murina ussuriensis)
chamberbitter (Phyllanthus urinaria); gripeweed; shatterstone; stonebreaker; leafflower
approximately thirty minutes
young man (who has recently undergone his manhood ceremony)
small drink; small amount of alcohol
small butterfly
Chinese chive; garlic chive (Allium tuberosum)
to joke; to kid around
Koyanagi Station (Aomori)