small rice field
Archaic term for a rice field, typically a small one. Not used in modern everyday language; encountered mainly in historical texts or place names.
An old document records that there was a small rice field on the outskirts of the village.
小田 is an old-fashioned, mostly historical/toponymic word, whereas 田んぼ is the common, everyday colloquial term for a rice field used today.
Odawara lantern; collapsible cylindrical paper lantern
fruitless discussion; endless debate; inconclusive meeting
Standard kanji spelling for this archaic noun.
Compound of 小 (small) and 田 (rice field). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with this meaning.