Diminutives -iņš / -iņa

Little Words: -iņš and -iņa

Level 3

Latvian often makes a word small or warm with a suffix. First-declension masculine nouns usually take -iņš, and feminine nouns in -a usually take -iņa: galdiņš (little table), mājiņa (little house).

How It Works

1. Masculine -iņš (mostly nouns in -s and -š):

  • galds → galdiņš (little table)
  • bērns → bērniņš (little child, baby)
  • putns → putniņš (little bird)

2. Feminine -iņa (mostly nouns in -a):

  • māja → mājiņa (little house)
  • grāmata → grāmatiņa (little book)
  • māsa → māsiņa (little sister)

3. Some consonants change before -iņ-: roka → rociņa (little hand), zirgs → zirdziņš (little horse), ceļš → celiņš (path).

4. What a diminutive can mean. Besides small size, it can sound warm and caring. It is common when talking to children and about pets, loved ones and home, and in folk songs. Māmiņa (mummy) is a special diminutive of māte. Some diminutives have their own meanings: celiņš is a path, and rociņa can also mean a handle. In a café, a table is often a galdiņš: rezervēt galdiņu (to book a table).

5. Always -iņš, never -iņs. Masculine diminutives end in -š: galdiņš, plural galdiņi.

Tip: when you call someone with a diminutive, it drops the ending: māmiņ! (mummy!). See short affectionate address.

Examples (6)

  1. Mēs dzīvojam mazā mājiņā pie jūras.

    We live in a little house by the sea.

    Mājiņa declines like māja: locative mājiņā.

  2. Bērniņš guļ.

    The baby is sleeping.

  3. Uz galdiņa ir lampa.

    There is a lamp on the little table.

    Galdiņš declines like other nouns in -š: uz galdiņa.

  4. Dod man rociņu!

    Give me your hand!

    Word by Word: Give me little-hand!

    A friendly way to talk to a small child. Roka → rociņa.

  5. Pa celiņu mēs aizgājām līdz ezeram.

    We walked along the path to the lake.

    Celiņš (path) comes from ceļš (road).

  6. Kokā dzied putniņš.

    A little bird is singing in the tree.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing the masculine diminutive with -s.

    Tas ir mans galdiņs.
    Tas ir mans galdiņš.

    Masculine diminutives always end in -iņš.

  • Keeping k before -iņa.

    Dod man rokiņu!
    Dod man rociņu!

    Before -iņ-, k changes to c: roka → rociņa. In the same way, g changes to dz: zirgs → zirdziņš.

How It Connects

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Diminutives -iņš / -iņaLevel 3Little Words: -iņš and -iņa

Learn This First

Diminutives in -iņš and -iņa build on two declensions.

Words in This Pattern

-iņš