I heard many times about "chiqui" and "chiquitita", but I can not find their translation even by Google translate. Could anyone tell me what does these two words mean? And where do they come from?
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2Besides my answer below a small piece of advice.....never trust google translate nor use it as a reliable reference. It still has too much to learn.– DGaleanoSep 27, 2016 at 18:32
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Very common nickname in the Philippines, formerly a Spanish colony.– Francis LagmanJun 17, 2020 at 10:13
2 Answers
Any dictionary will tell you that chico means small and so does chiquitito since it is the diminutive of "chico".
The diminutive of chico could be formed in these three ways: Chiquito, chiquitito or chiquillo.
That being said, chiqui is not other than an abbreviation of "chiquito/a".
It is a colloquial way to call someone mainly on a familial or romantic/loving setting and it is very commonly used to refer to children or to a romantic partner usually when he/she is short.
Chiqui is the Spanish equivalent of shorty.
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Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiquitita indicates "chiquitita" is a a Spanish term of endearment for a woman meaning "little one" before commmenting on ABBA's song– user13560Sep 27, 2016 at 18:32
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@user13560 that is correct. And BTW ABBA made a full Spanish version of the song and that was very popular around latinamerica in the 80's (azlyrics.com/lyrics/abba/chiquititainspanish.html) (youtube.com/watch?v=ih4JqI44Qz8)– DGaleanoSep 27, 2016 at 18:46
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2Just to add something curious, in Basque (language spoken in a region between Spain and France, older than Latin) "txiki" (read chiqui) means small. Sep 27, 2016 at 19:05
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@SergioTx: Maybe it is the same word, spelled with Basque's smaller alphabet ?– user13560Sep 27, 2016 at 20:17
The Spanish language translation of Finding Nemo (2003) translates the English expression "squirt" (a term of endearment often referring to a small child) as "chiqui". Perhaps this can provide further context for any passersby. Peace and God bless!