* Small plates, dishes, or saucers: This is the most common meaning. You might see "platillos" used to refer to small plates used for serving appetizers or desserts, or even saucers for cups.
* Cymbals: In music, "platillos" refers to cymbals, the metallic percussion instruments.
* "Little plates": This is a literal translation of the word, and it can be used to emphasize the small size of the plates.
To determine the correct meaning, consider the context in which you encountered the word.
Examples:
* "Voy a poner los platillos para las tapas." (I'm going to put out the small plates for the tapas.)
* "El baterista tocó los platillos con fuerza." (The drummer hit the cymbals hard.)
* "Estos platillos son muy bonitos." (These little plates are very pretty.)