The German diminutive suffix is -chen. It can be attached to many nouns. The word Fischchen means little fish, Fensterchen means little window and Tischchen means little table. In many cases, however, the base is modified with a change in the vowel. Here are examples:
Baum Bäumchen (tree/little tree)
Blume/Blümchen (flower/little flower)
Brot Brötchen (bread/bread roll)
Glas/ Gläschen (glass/little glass)
Haus/Häuschen (house/little house)
Hund/Hündchen (dog/puppy)
Katz/ Kätzchen (cat/kitten)
Stadt/Städtchen (city/small city)
Vogel/Vögelchen (bird/little bird)
Wurst/Würstchen (sausage/little sausage)
The examples show a vowel change in the base. When the suffix is added, the high back vowel becomes high front, the mid back vowel becomes mid front, and the low central vowel becomes mid front. In all cases, the vowel becomes more advanced after suffixation. Modification of the vowel frequently occurs with the diminutive suffix -chen.
