लघु (laghu)

adjective A formal/literary adjective meaning 'small, minor, brief' -- mostly seen in compound words and written registers rather than casual speech, where छोटा (chhotaa) dominates.
Sense 1 : small, minor, brief (in size, scale, or importance)
adjective
Synonyms: छोटा (chhotaa), संक्षिप्त (sankshipt, for 'brief/short' in writing), मामूली (maamoolii, minor/trivial)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will meet लघु (laghu) constantly in official and academic Hindi -- लघु कथा (laghu kathaa, 'short story'), लघु उद्योग (laghu udyog, 'small-scale industry'), लघु फिल्म (laghu philm, 'short film') -- it is the go-to word for classifying things by scale in writing, even though a Delhi shopkeeper would just say छोटा (chhotaa) about the size of a box.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for लघु (laghu) as a everyday substitute for छोटा (chhotaa), but it sounds bookish or official in ordinary conversation -- it belongs on signs, forms, and in compound nouns like लघु उद्योग (laghu udyog, 'small-scale industry'), not in casual talk about a small bag or a small child. 2) As an invariant adjective, it does not change form before masculine or feminine nouns the way छोटा (chhotaa) does -- learners sometimes mistakenly try to inflect it.
Sample Sentences:
यह एक लघु उद्योग है। This is a small-scale industry.
(yah ek laghu udyog hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उसने कॉलेज की पत्रिका में एक लघु कथा लिखी। She wrote a short story in the college magazine.
(usne kolej kii patrikaa men ek laghu kathaa likhii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
निर्देशक ने अपनी लघु फिल्म के लिए पुरस्कार जीता है। The director has won an award for his short film.
(nirdeshak ne apnii laghu philm ke lie puraskaar jiitaa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
सरकार लघु उद्योगों को हर साल ऋण देती है। The government gives loans to small-scale industries every year.
(sarkaar laghu udyogon ko har saal rin detii hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
परीक्षा में एक लघु प्रश्न भी पूछा जाएगा। A minor question will also be asked in the exam.
(pariikshaa men ek laghu prashn bhii poochhaa jaaegaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Passive
काश यह लघु परियोजना समय पर पूरी हो जाती। If only this small project had been completed on time.
(kaash yah laghu pariyojnaa samay par poorii ho jaatii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Active
अपनी रचना को एक लघु शीर्षक दें। Give your composition a brief title.
(apnii rachnaa ko ek laghu shiirshak den।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
यह मुद्दा लघु नहीं, बल्कि अत्यंत महत्वपूर्ण है। This issue is not minor, but rather extremely important.
(yah muddaa laghu nahiin, balki atyant mahatvpoorn hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मंत्री ने लघु और मध्यम उद्योगों के विकास पर बल दिया। The minister emphasized the development of small and medium industries.
(mantrii ne laghu aur madhyam udyogon ke vikaas par bal diyaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Adjective (invariant)
invariant: लघु (laghu)