This is the 8296th most frequent Russian word.
мелкая
"Мелкая" means "shallow" or "small" in English.
Here, 'мелкая' refers to the size of the shark, meaning 'small'.
Она купила мелкую акулу для аквариума.
She bought a small shark for the aquarium.
Here, 'мелкая' describes the depth of the river, meaning 'shallow'.
Мелкая река не подходит для кораблей.
A shallow river is not suitable for ships.
Here, 'мелкие' refers to the significance or scale of the details, meaning 'small' or 'minor'.