छोटा-मोटा (chhotaa-motaa)

adjective A reduplicated compound adjective built from छोटा (chhotaa, small) meaning 'small, minor, insignificant' -- used for things like small jobs, minor issues, or petty amounts, not for physical smallness of a person or object.
Sense 1 : small, minor, petty (of matters, jobs, amounts)
adjective Used to downplay the significance of something -- a small job, a minor problem, a bit of savings -- rather than to describe physical size.
Synonyms: मामूली (maamoolii), छोटा (chhotaa, less emphatic, used alone)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is a classic Hindi 'echo compound' -- pairing छोटा (chhotaa, small) with the rhyming मोटा (motaa, fat/thick) purely for rhythm, not literal meaning; you'll hear the same pattern in words like उलटा-पुलटा (ultaa-pultaa) or टूटा-फूटा (tootaa-phootaa). A shopkeeper might describe her business as एक छोटा-मोटा दुकान (ek chhotaa-motaa dukaan, 'a small little shop') with a modest, self-deprecating tone that's very Delhi-bazaar in flavor.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use this for physical smallness of a person or object, e.g. trying to say 'a small child' as बच्चा छोटा-मोटा है (bachchaa chhotaa-motaa hai) -- here plain छोटा (chhotaa) is correct; छोटा-मोटा (chhotaa-motaa) is for minor/insignificant things or matters, like एक छोटा-मोटा काम (ek chhotaa-motaa kaam, 'a small/minor job'). 2) It is almost always used attributively before a noun, not as a standalone predicate describing size.
Sample Sentences:
मेरा एक छोटा-मोटा कारोबार है। I have a small little business.
(meraa ek chhotaa-motaa kaarobaar hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
यह तो छोटी-मोटी बात है, इसे भूल जाओ। This is just a minor matter, forget about it.
(yah to chhotii-motii baat hai, ise bhool jaao।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उसे कहीं छोटी-मोटी नौकरी मिल गई थी। He had gotten some small job somewhere.
(use kahiin chhotii-motii naukrii mil gaii thii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
हमारी दुकान कोई बड़ी नहीं, बस एक छोटा-मोटा धंधा है। Our shop isn't big at all, it's just a small little trade.
(hamaarii dukaan koii badii nahiin, bas ek chhotaa-motaa dhandhaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
घर में कोई छोटी-मोटी समस्या हो तो खुद ही सुलझा लेते हैं। If there's some minor problem at home, we sort it out ourselves.
(ghar men koii chhotii-motii samasyaa ho to khud hii suljhaa lete hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
क्या कभी उससे कोई छोटी-मोटी गलती नहीं हुई होगी? Wouldn't he have made some small mistake at some point?
(kyaa kabhii usse koii chhotii-motii galtii nahiin huii hogii?)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
अगर छोटी-मोटी रकम होती तो मैं अभी दे देता। If it were a small amount, I would have given it right now.
(agar chhotii-motii rakam hotii to main abhii de detaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
यहाँ छोटी-मोटी मरम्मत का काम भी किया जाता है। Small repair work is also done here.
(yahaan chhotii-motii marammat kaa kaam bhii kiyaa jaataa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
कृपया छोटी-मोटी बातों को लेकर परेशान न हों। Please don't get worried over minor matters.
(kripyaa chhotii-motii baaton ko lekar pareshaan n hon।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
बचपन में मैं भी घर के छोटे-मोटे काम कर लेता था। As a child, I too used to do small household chores.
(bachpan men main bhii ghar ke chhote-mote kaam kar letaa thaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
छोटे-मोटे खर्चों का हिसाब रखना भी ज़रूरी है। It's also important to keep track of minor expenses.
(chhote-mote kharchon kaa hisaab rakhnaa bhii zaroorii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Adjective (variable)
Morphology could not be generated (hyphen-joined variable adjective 'छोटा-मोटा').