There are four basic sizes of ukulele: soprano, concert, tenor and baritone.

These ukuleles are classified according to their size (unlike opera singers where a tenor isn't just a fatter version of a soprano). Of four, the soprano is the smallest and the oldest. The scale length of a soprano ukulele (i.e. the distance between the bridge and the nut) is around 13 inches or 33 centimeters. Any ukulele that fits this definition is a soprano.

It is the traditional size for the ukulele: the one most people think of when they hear the word ukulele. That also means that it is the most common. Most people's first ukulele is a soprano: partly because they are the most common and partly because the cheapest ukes tend to be sopranos. And it is a good place to start. The small scale length means that it's easy to stretch for chord shapes. Making it a great instrument for strumming chords on.

The most common tuning for a soprano nowadays is gCEA (with the g string being pitched higher than the C string - also known as re-entrant tuning). Another tuning that you may well come across is aDF#B - this used to be used much more often that it is now. A rare but growing trend (particularly in Japan) is for sopranos to use a low-G tuning. But the best tuning to go for is gCEA.

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