1.
small, little
Of limited size or extent.
小さな子供
A small child.
小さな is a 連体詞 (pre-noun adjectival) — a special word class that can only modify nouns directly. It cannot be conjugated or used as a predicate.
Similar words
- 小さな + noun: pre-noun form only (小さな犬)
- 小さい + noun: i-adjective form (小さい犬)
- Both are interchangeable before nouns, but only 小さい works as a predicate: この犬は小さい (NOT 小さな)
- 大きな (big — same pre-noun adjectival type)
- 大きい (big — i-adjective)
Note: 小さな and 大きな are the only common 連体詞 with corresponding い-adjective forms. Most 連体詞 (like この, あの) have no adjective counterpart.