Just a little
Core words, Stage 3chunk 73 of 76Degree words
Lets you play down an amount or a thing.
- tattaonly; just
- hon nojust a; a mere; only a little
- chotto shitasmall; slight; minor
- tashoua little; somewhat; more or less
Mix-ups Tatta goes before numbers; hon no and chotto shita go before nouns.
tatta
only; just
Stresses how small a number or amount is, often with dake.
Goes right before the number, while dake follows it: tatta sen'en dake (just 1,000 yen).
tatta gofun de owatta yo.
It only took five minutes.
たった五分で終わったよ。
tatta gofun de owarimashita yo.
It took just five minutes.
たった五分で終わりましたよ。
Written たったRank #1157 in 3,030 TV dramas
hon no
just a; a mere; only a little
Comes before a noun to make it small: hon no sukoshi (just a tiny bit).
Hon no kimochi desu = it's just a small token (said when giving a gift).
hon no sukoshi dake choudai.
Just give me a tiny bit.
ほんの少しだけちょうだい。
hon no sukoshi dake kudasai.
Just a little, please.
ほんの少しだけください。
Written ほんのRank #2207 in 3,030 TV dramas
chotto shita
small; slight; minor
Before a noun: a small, casual thing, like chotto shita omiyage (a little gift).
Can flip to 'quite a': chotto shita yuumeijin (quite a celebrity).
chotto shita mondai ga atte, okureta.
There was a small problem, so I was late.
ちょっとした問題があって、遅れた。
chotto shita mondai ga atte, okuremashita.
There was a minor problem, so I was late.
ちょっとした問題があって、遅れました。
Written ちょっとしたRank #2697 in 3,030 TV dramas
tashou
a little; somewhat; more or less
Often in 'even if a bit...' and in hedges: tashou no okure (some delay).
Sounds a bit more formal than sukoshi or chotto.
tashou takakute mo, kore ga ii.
Even if it's a bit pricey, I want this one.
多少高くても、これがいい。
tashou takakute mo, kore ga ii desu.
Even if it costs a little more, I'd like this one.
多少高くても、これがいいです。
Written 多少 · たしょうRank #2614 in 3,030 TV dramas