little

小さい

大きさが小さい。

やさしい英語で： Small in size.

• She carried a little bag.
• We stayed in a little house by the sea.
• Those little boxes contain seeds.

類義語： small, tiny

反対語： big, large

よく使う表現： a little house, a little box, a little piece

幼い、小さい

まだ成長途中で幼い。特に親しみを込めて使う。

やさしい英語で： Young and still growing, especially when spoken about with affection.

• The little girl waved.
• My little brother started school today.
• Two little kittens slept beside their mother.

類義語： young

反対語： grown-up, adult

よく使う表現： a little boy, my little sister, little children

短い、わずかな

続く時間や移動する距離が短い。

やさしい英語で： Lasting a short time or covering a short distance.

• Wait a little while.
• We walked a little way along the beach.
• A little rest made her feel better.

類義語： short, brief

反対語： long

よく使う表現： a little while, a little way, a little walk, a little distance

ほとんど～ない、わずかに

程度がごく小さい、またはめったにないことを表す。

やさしい英語で： Only to a small degree or very rarely.

• The village has changed little.
• This treatment is little used today.
• She cared little about expensive clothes.

類義語： slightly, not much, hardly

反対語： greatly

よく使う表現： little known, little changed, little used

まったく～ない、夢にも～ない

全くないことを表す。特に、これから起こることを全く知らない場合に使う。

やさしい英語で： Not at all, especially when someone has no idea what will happen.

• Little did I know what was coming.
• He little suspected that his friend was lying.
• Little did they realize how much their lives would change.

使い方： little + auxiliary verb + subject + verb (Little did she know that a surprise awaited her.)

類義語： not at all

よく使う表現： little did someone know, little did someone suspect, little did someone realize

少しの、わずかな

物の量が少なく、必要な量や欲しい量に足りないことが多い。

やさしい英語で： A small amount of something, often less than is needed or wanted.

• We have little time.
• She showed little interest in the game.
• Very little food was left after the party.

使い方： little + uncountable noun (There is little water left.); little of + determiner/pronoun (Little of the money reached the village.)

類義語： not much

反対語： much

よく使う表現： little time, very little money, little or no

少し、わずか

何の量かを言わずに少量を指す。必要な量に足りないことが多い。

やさしい英語で： A small amount, often less than is needed, without naming the thing being discussed.

• Little is known about her childhood.
• We ate most of it, so little remained.
• How can they achieve so much with so little?

使い方： little of something (Little of what he said was useful.)

類義語： not much

反対語： much

よく使う表現： little is known, little remained, do very little