Japanese word

ちょっと

Pronunciation

Romajichotto

Meaning

  • adverba little

Example

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.

Illustration for ちょっと (a little)

More examples

牛乳をちょっと飲みます。gyū nyū o cho tto no mi ma su

I drink a little milk.

ちょっとお時間をいただけますか。cho tto o ji kan o i ta da ke ma su ka

Could you spare me a moment?

Core concept

Marks something as limited in amount, duration, or degree rather than fully absent or complete.

Common phrases

  • ちょっと待ってcho tto ma tte

    wait a moment

  • ちょっといいですかcho tto i i de su ka

    May I ask you something

  • ちょっと休むcho tto yasu mu

    rest a little

Similar words

少しsukoshi: It indicates a small amount, degree, or duration in a neutral way.

Definition in Japanese

数量・時間・程度がわずかであるさま。sū ryō ji kan tei do ga wa zu ka de a ru sa ma

Word origin

ちょっと (chotto) is a native Japanese adverb associated with the older adverb ちと (chito), which means "a little" or "briefly"; the exact formation is uncertain.

Usage tips

  • A speaker may use ちょっと (chotto) before a request to make it sound less direct, a common conversational use that is not captured by "a little" alone.

Other meanings

  • for a momentadverb

Word lists with this word