Diminutives in Spain

Quick Answer

Did you know that the diminutive form used by a speaker from España(Spain) can give you a good hint about what region in Spain they're from? Read on to learn more about diminutives in Spain!

Questions This Article Answers

What is a diminutive form?

What does ito mean?

What does ino mean?

What does iño mean?

What does ico mean?

What does uco mean?

What are the different diminutive suffixes in Spanish?

A diminutive is a suffix attached to the end of a noun or adjective to indicate small size, cuteness, familiarity, and even pity or contempt. Throughout the Spanish-speaking world, the most common diminutive suffix is -ito. However, there are many regional variations of diminutives used throughout the mundo hispanohablante(Spanish-speaking world)!

Remember that suffixes must always agree with the original gender and number of a noun or adjective.

For example:

examples
un torito a small bull
una vaquita a small cow
dos gatitos chiquitos two small cats
una ballena chiquita a small whale

examples

un torito

a small bull

una vaquita

a small cow

dos gatitos chiquitos

two small cats

una ballena chiquita

a small whale

Let’s Get Regional: Local Variations

Let’s take a look at a selection of some of the diminutives used in Spain!

Note that we have used the Diccionario de la Real Academia de la Lengua Española(Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy of Language) definition to provide the geographical data for each diminutive.

-Ico in Central-Eastern Spain

While the diminutive -ico is used in parts of Latin America, such as Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, and Venezuela, it’s also quite popular in central-eastern Spain, including Andalucía, Aragón, Murcia, and Navarra.

examples
¿Sabías que Enrique tiene un hermanico? Did you know Enrique has a little brother?
Dame un poquico más de café. Give me a little bit more coffee.

más café

-Ino in Central-Western Spain

-Ino is a diminutive that is used in central-western Spain. For example:

examples
¿Quieres un poquino de agua? Do you want a little bit of water?
Manda un abracino a tu padre de mi parte. Send your father a hug from me.

-Iño in Galicia

Although Galiciahas its own language, gallego(Galician), the Galician diminutive -iño has also worked its way into Spanish!

examples
Un besiño, Marta. Nos vemos la semana que viene. A kiss, Marta. See you next week.
El bebé tiene un mesiño. The baby is just a month old.

newborn

-Txu and -Txo

Although they're not typically used in Spanish, -txu and -txo are two of the most common diminutives you’ll hear in País Vasco(Basque Country). They occasionally make their way into Spanish conversations via their loving application to people’s names Josetxu, Carmentxuor when little kids address their moms using the Basque word ama(mom) to say amatxu(mama). Many Spanish-speaking families choose to use the Basque terms ama for mom and aitafor dad, depending on what each parent prefers.

examples
Invité a Carmentxu a la fiesta. I invited Carmen to the party.
¡Amatxu! ¿Dónde está mi mochila? Mama! Where’s my backpack?

examples

Invité a Carmentxu a la fiesta.

I invited Carmen to the party.

¡Amatxu! ¿Dónde está mi mochila?

Mama! Where’s my backpack?

-Uco in Cantabria

Although the vast majority of diminutives used in Spain start with i, the north-central region of Cantabriabucks the trend with its u. In this tiny region, folks use -uco as a diminutive. In Cantabria, you may give a friend a besuco(little kiss) when you see them, or tell your neighbor that their niñuco(little kid) is adorable. The suffix -uco is so Cantabrian, that many even refer to the region as la Tierruca(the Little Country).