小型・小形|こがたkogata[0]heiban (flat)

1. no-adjectivesmall-sized; small-scale; miniatureesp. 小型
   大型おおがたと小型こがたの２台だいの飛行機ひこうきが、ハンガー内ないで停止ていししていました。↗

   Two airplanes, one large and one small, were at rest in the hangar.
2. no-adjectivesmall; little; tinyesp. 小形

• Synonym小さいちいさいNeutralThe most common everyday adjective; covers size, quantity, degree, even sound. 「小型」 only describes shape or scale, and mostly classifies vehicles, machines and the like.
• Synonym小柄こがらNeutralMainly for a person's petite build; also a small pattern. 「小型」 covers small-sized classes of objects, animals, machines, and is not normally used of a person's physique.
• Synonym小こNeutralA prefix read 「こ」 meaning small or slight, as in 「小雨」 and 「小一時間」; it cannot stand alone. 「小型」 is an independent word that directly names a small size class.
• Synonym小規模しょうきぼWrittenSmall in scale for organizations or events, as in 「小規模企業」; leans written. 「小型」 also commonly covers the shape and size of machines and objects, not only scale.
• SynonymちっちゃいCasualColloquial variant of 「小さい」, used by adults too with a casual, friendly feel. 「小型」 is a more written, classificatory term for things small in size or scale.
• Synonym小作りこづくりNeutralMeans made small in structure or style; also a slight build in people. 「小型」 is the usual term for size classes of machines and vehicles, not said of body type.
• SynonymちいちゃいCasualColloquial for small, with a casual, childlike flavor; adults use it too. 「小型」 is a classificatory term for a class small in size or scale and carries none of that tone.
• Synonym小振りこぶりNeutralMeans somewhat small for its kind, as in 「小ぶりの鍋」; also a short swing of a bat. 「小型」 denotes a small size class without the 'slightly smaller' nuance.
• Related小柄こがらNeutralMainly for a person's petite build; also a small pattern. 「小型」 covers small-sized classes of objects, animals, machines, and is not normally used of a person's physique.
• Related微小びしょうWrittenStresses extreme smallness, common in scientific writing, as in 「微小な変化」. 「小型」 just describes shape or scale and need not be vanishingly small.
• Related細かこまかNeutralFine, minute, or detailed, as in 「細かな作業」. 「小型」 says the whole object is small in size or scale, not that it is fine or detailed.
• Related零細れいさいWrittenExtremely small in number or scale, as in the set phrase 「零細企業」. 「小型」 can describe shape and size, not just business scale, and lacks the 'meager, paltry' sense.
• Related微細びさいWrittenStresses extreme fineness as well as smallness, as in 「微細な粒子」. 「小型」 is about the whole object's shape or scale being small, not about fineness.
• Related極小きょくしょうWrittenExtremely small; also a mathematical local minimum. 「小型」 classifies things by size or scale, without stressing smallness to the limit, and has no mathematical sense.
• Related小っぽけちっぽけCasualSmall and puny, insignificant; often contemptuous. 「小型」 states objectively that a shape or scale is small, with no negative overtone.
• Related極微きょくびWrittenWritten language for the extremely tiny; also the smallest unit matter can be divided into. 「小型」 only says size or scale is small, without stressing an extreme limit.
• Related細微さいびWrittenRare written word for minute and meager, with an old sense of lowly status. 「小型」 speaks only of shape or scale; for everyday 'small and fine' use 「小さい」.
• Relatedごく小さいごくちいさいNeutralEmphasizes very small; works in both speech and writing. 「小型」 is about classifying by size or scale and does not imply extreme smallness.
• Related細小さいしょうWrittenRare written word for minute, tiny things. 「小型」 is about size or scale as a category; for everyday 'small and fine' use 「小さい」.
• Antonym大型おおがたNeutralThe direct opposite: large in shape or scale as a class, as in 「大型車」. It stands at the other end of the size/scale classification from 「小型」.

Use 「小型」 for a class of things — vehicles, machines and the like — that are small in size or scale, as in 「小型車」. For everyday 'small' say 「小さい」; for slightly small, 「小振り」; for a petite build, 「小柄」; for small scale, 「小規模」. The antonym is 「大型」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 規模きぼや形かたちが小ちいさいこと。またそのさま。