Diminutive -kie

Level 3

When a noun ends in unstressed -ing, drop the g and add -kie: ketting → kettinkie (little chain).

How It Works

How to build it. Take a noun that ends in unstressed -ing, remove the g, and add -kie:

  • koning → koninkie (little king)
  • woning → woninkie (little home)
  • tekening → tekeninkie (little drawing)
  • ketting → kettinkie (little chain, necklace)
  • piering → pierinkie (little saucer)
  • kussing → kussinkie (little cushion)

The ng sound is still there when you say it: koninkie sounds like koning + kie. Many of these nouns are -ing nouns made from verbs, such as tekening from teken (draw).

Other unstressed -ng words. A few nouns that end in another unstressed -ng syllable work the same way: piesang → piesankie (little banana).

Stressed ng is different. When ng follows a short stressed vowel, as in a one-syllable word, the noun keeps its g and takes -etjie: ring → ringetjie (little ring), ding → dingetjie (little thing).

Spelling tip. In everyday speech -tjie often sounds much like -kie. Spell by the rule: -inkie only for unstressed -ing, and -tjie in words like seuntjie (little boy).

Plural. Add -s: kettinkies, tekeninkies. See diminutive plural.

Examples (6)

  1. Sy dra 'n goue kettinkie om haar nek.

    She is wearing a little gold chain around her neck.

    Word by Word: She wears a golden little-chain around her neck.

  2. My dogter het vir my 'n tekeninkie gemaak.

    My daughter made me a little drawing.

    Word by Word: My daughter has for me a little-drawing made.

  3. Die katjie drink melk uit 'n pierinkie.

    The kitten is drinking milk out of a little saucer.

    Word by Word: The kitten drinks milk out a little-saucer.

  4. In die storie woon 'n koninkie in 'n klein kasteel.

    In the story, a little king lives in a small castle.

    Word by Word: In the story lives a little-king in a small castle.

  5. Die baba slaap op 'n sagte kussinkie.

    The baby is sleeping on a soft little cushion.

    Word by Word: The baby sleeps on a soft little-cushion.

  6. Die aap eet 'n piesankie.

    The monkey is eating a little banana.

    Word by Word: The monkey eats a little-banana.

    Piesang ends in an unstressed -ng syllable too, so it follows the same pattern.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping the g and adding -etjie.

    Sy dra 'n goue kettingetjie om haar nek.
    Sy dra 'n goue kettinkie om haar nek.

    The -ing in ketting is unstressed, so the g drops and -kie is added.

  • Keeping the g in front of -kie.

    In die storie woon 'n koningkie in 'n klein kasteel.
    In die storie woon 'n koninkie in 'n klein kasteel.

    The g is not written: -ing becomes -inkie.

  • Using -kie with a stressed ng word.

    Hy gee vir haar 'n rinkie.
    Hy gee vir haar 'n ringetjie.

    In ring the ng follows a short stressed vowel, so it takes -etjie and keeps the g.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Diminutive -kieLevel 3

Learn This First

The diminutive -kie is used after unstressed -ing.

Words in This Pattern

-kie