- -el, -l (chiefly dialectal)
- -le (chiefly dialectal)
- -li (in Swiss)
- -lin (chiefly Early New High German)
- -elein (chiefly in poetry)
From Middle High German -elīn, -līn, from Old High German -ilī, -ilīn. Cognate to Dutch -lijn and English -ling.
-lein (plural -lein or -leins or -erlein)
- suffix used to create a diminutive form; e.g., Kind → Kindlein
- In contemporary Standard German -lein is usual with words whose stems end in -ch and, to a lesser degree, in -g; thus more often Bächlein (“little brook”) than Bächelchen. There is also a limited number of other forms that remain in common use, but in most cases -lein now has a poetic and archaic tone. The general diminutive suffix in the written language and in northern speech is -chen, while southern informal use prefers regional suffixes like -le, -li (Swabian/Alemannic) and -erl (Austro-Bavarian).
- The plural generally remains unchanged as it does with diminutives in -chen. A few nouns with a plural in -er may carry the same ending over to the plural diminutive. This is common with Kindlein → Kinderlein (and equally Kindchen → Kinderchen); otherwise it is rare. A few nouns referring to people allow a plural in -s. This is common with Fräulein → Fräuleins; otherwise it is, again, rare.