English–Japanese
“little” in Japanese
How to say “little” in Japanese
“Little” in Japanese is 少し (sukoshi).
It marks something as limited in amount or degree while leaving some amount or effect present.
Example sentences with 少し
今日は少し寒いです。kyō wa suko shi samu i de su
It is a little cold today.
この料理は少し辛いです。ko no ryō ri wa suko shi tsura i de su
This dish is slightly spicy.
Tips for using 少し
- 少し (sukoshi) can modify an adjective as well as a verb, as in 少し寒い (sukoshi samui), meaning that something is slightly cold.
Other Japanese words for “little”
今日はちょっと寒いです。kyō wa cho tto samu i de su
It is a little cold today.
このかばんはやや大きいです。ko no ka ba n wa ya ya ō ki i de su
This bag is a little big.
私は多少日本語がわかります。watashi wa ta shō nihon go ga wa ka ri ma su
I understand a little Japanese.
少々お待ちください。shō shō o ma chi ku da sa i
Please wait a moment.
今日は若干寒いです。kyō wa jak kan samu i de su
It is a little cold today.
残り時間はわずかです。noko ri ji kan wa wa zu ka de su
There is only a little time left.
何分時間がありませんので、急いでください。nani bun ji kan ga a ri ma se n no de iso i de ku da sa i
There is very little time, so please hurry.
英語のリトルは小さいという意味です。ei go no ri to ru wa chii sa i to i u i mi de su
In English, little means small.
その説明にはいささか無理があります。so no setsu mei ni wa i sa sa ka mu ri ga a ri ma su
That explanation is a little unreasonable.