小さい
chiisai
A small shoe, a small voice, a small mistake — one 小さい
The picture An outline pulled inward, so it takes up less room than before. 小さい pulls its outline inward and takes up less room; 大きい pushes it outward and claims room.
Where the picture shows up in 小さい
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an object pulled inward
この靴は少し小さいです。
kono kutsu wa sukoshi chiisai desu
These shoes are a bit small.
Toes pressing against the front of the shoe with nowhere left to go
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sound pulled inward
声が小さくて聞こえません。
koe ga chiisakute kikoemasen
Your voice is too quiet, I can't hear you.
A voice leaving the mouth and dying out just short of the other person's ear
Very common on the phone.
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a number pulled inward
小さい金額でも記録してください。
chiisai kingaku demo kiroku shite kudasai
Please record it even if the amount is small.
A few coins that barely fill one line of a receipt
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weight of a matter pulled inward
小さいミスですから、心配しないでください。
chiisai misu desu kara, shinpai shinaide kudasai
It's a small mistake, don't worry.
A mistake that looked huge shrinking to a dot the size of a fingernail
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a child still small
子どもがまだ小さいんです。
kodomo ga mada chiisai n desu
My child is still little.
A child in an adult chair whose feet hang in the air, nowhere near the floor
Said of a person, it means young in years.
All of it in one picture
小さい is one picture: an outline pulled inward until it takes up less room. The inside of the shoe has shrunk, so your toes stop short; a voice shrinks and dies before it reaches the other ear; the amount shrinks to a few coins on one line of a receipt. A mistake shrinks to a dot the size of a fingernail, so there is nothing to worry about, and a child who is still small in body is simply young.