小こ島じま

also: しょうとう · おじま

こ

じ

ま

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

small island; islet

Refers to a small island, typically smaller than a 島 (island) but larger than a mere rock or reef. Common in geographical descriptions and place names.

湖みずうみの真まん中なかに小ちいさな小こ島じまが浮うかんでいる。
A small islet floats in the middle of the lake.
その小こ島じまには珍めずらしい鳥とりが生せい息そくしている。
Rare birds inhabit that small island.

See all 8 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉に小こ島じまがあるthere is a small island at/in a place
湾わんの中なかに小ちいさな小こ島じまがある。
There is a small island inside the bay.
小こ島じまに渡わたるto cross over to a small island
船ふねで近ちかくの小こ島じまに渡わたった。
We crossed over to a nearby small island by boat.
小こ島じまを訪おとずれるto visit a small island
夏なつ休やすみに無む人じんの小こ島じまを訪おとずれた。
During summer vacation, I visited an uninhabited small island.

Kanji

小little, small
島island

Related words

島しまN4
島 is the general word for 'island' of any size, while 小島 specifically means a small island.

Opposites

本ほん島とう
本島 is the main, larger island of a group, contrasting with a 小島, which is a small outlying island.

Don't confuse with

岩がん礁しょう
岩礁 is a rocky reef or outcrop, usually too small or bare to be called an island, unlike a 小島 which is a proper small island.
半はん島とうN2
半島 means 'peninsula,' a landform attached to the mainland, which learners sometimes confuse with 小島 because both share the kanji 島.

Word family

離はなれ小こ島じま
small isolated island

Built from

小こ+島しま

Written forms

小島Usage100%
- こじま
  Standard kanji spelling with the most common reading こじま.
- しょうとう
  Sino-Japanese reading; less common and may appear in formal or literary contexts.
- おじま
  Alternate native reading; rare and possibly dialectal or restricted to place names.
おじま
しょうとう

Etymology

Compound of 小 (small) and 島 (island). The reading こじま is the most common native Japanese reading; しょうとう is the Sino-Japanese reading; おじま is a less common native variant.