What it means
Jamaican Patois for little or small. You use it for size, amount, or anything minor, but it often carries a soft, warm feel too. A likkle food, a likkle joke, a likkle stress. It shows up in everyday Jamaican speech and all over reggae and dancehall. In likkle more, it also helps make the goodbye feel easy and sweet.
Usage examples
"Mi only have a likkle time fi reason, then mi haffi run. Likkle more, mi boss, link up later when yuh free."
"Give me a likkle minute, I'll be ready to head out soon."
"It's just a likkle worry, nothing serious, don't fret about it."
"Tek a likkle piece and pass the rest, nuh be greedy."
"We had a likkle lime after work, then everybody cut."
Where it comes from
Likkle is the Jamaican Patois form of little. It comes from English little, reshaped through Jamaican pronunciation and sound patterns until it landed in that smoother, fuller likkle form. The word has been part of everyday Jamaican speech for ages, then spread wider through reggae, dancehall, and the Jamaican diaspora.
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