ちょっと
ちょっと · chotto · JLPT N5 · adverb
a little
🤏 sounds like a short 'choto' — a clipped word for a clipped amount
The small っ makes you stop short mid-word: cho-(pause)-to. That tiny halt mirrors the meaning, just a little. Said alone and trailing off, ちょっと… is also a soft way to refuse: it's a little (difficult).