A diminutive can describe a small thing, as in adacık (islet), or express affection: anneciğim means “my dear mum”. With küçücük, small becomes tiny. The meaning depends on the word and context.
The idea
Use the table to choose the vowel. The suffix starts with ç after ç f h k p s ş t, and with c after a vowel or voiced consonant. Add the diminutive before plural, possessive and case endings: kitapçıklarda. Its final k becomes ğ before a vowel-initial suffix: kitapçığı. The table also shows these softened forms.
| Last vowel | After a vowel or voiced consonant | After a voiceless consonant | Before a vowel suffix: voiced form | Before a vowel suffix: voiceless form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a, ı | -cık | -çık | -cığ- | -çığ- |
| e, i | -cik | -çik | -ciğ- | -çiğ- |
| o, u | -cuk | -çuk | -cuğ- | -çuğ- |
| ö, ü | -cük | -çük | -cüğ- | -çüğ- |
Examples
- Bu kitapçık çantama sığıyor.This booklet fits in my bag.
- Bahçede küçücük bir masa var.There is a tiny table in the garden.
- Kedinin patisinde ufacık bir çizik var.There is a tiny scratch on the cat’s paw.
- kitapçıklardain the bookletskitapçıkDiminutive: smallness and affectionlar-ler / -lar: the plural suffixda-de / -da / -te / -ta: in, at, on
- adacıklarisletsadacıkDiminutive: smallness and affectionlar-ler / -lar: the plural suffix
- gölcüklerlittle lakesgölcükDiminutive: smallness and affectionler-ler / -lar: the plural suffix
- Kitapçığı masanın üstüne bıraktım.I left the booklet on the table.
- Anneciğim, çayın hazır.Mum dear, your tea is ready.
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Watch out
Do not simply attach the suffix to an unchanged adjective: küçük loses its final k in küçücük, and ufak becomes ufacık. Learn these common forms as whole words; this is not a rule for deleting every final k.
Try it yourself
Add the diminutive to kitap (book) to make “booklet”.
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kitapçık
kitapçık: the last vowel a selects ı, and voiceless p selects ç. The p stays because the added suffix begins with a consonant.
Add the diminutive to göl (lake): a little lake.
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gölcük
gölcük: rounded front ö requires ü; voiced l keeps the initial c. The result means a little lake.
Use the diminutive form of küçük (small) to mean “tiny”.
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küçücük
küçücük: remove the stem’s final k, then attach -cük to küçü-. The resulting adjective means tiny, not merely small.
Complete “I left the booklet on the table.” Put kitapçık in the accusative.
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kitapçığı
kitapçığı: the booklet is the specific object of leaving, so it takes accusative -ı. This vowel changes the diminutive’s final k to ğ; the earlier p remains.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Add the diminutive to kitap (book) to make “booklet”.
Add the diminutive to göl (lake): a little lake.
Use the diminutive form of küçük (small) to mean “tiny”.
Complete “I left the booklet on the table.” Put kitapçık in the accusative.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the parts in order to build this word: in the booklets
Tap the parts in order to build this word: islets
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Write one sentence with kitapçık and one with küçücük. Then make adacık plural and add the locative. Mark the boundary between the diminutive and the following endings.