Is it okay to use small aperture?

I just used the nikkor 18-50mm f/3.5-5.6 and set it to f/22. And when i set it back to f/4 it makes tiny noises (twice). But can using small aperture like that ruin the lens?
i just got my first dslr and kinda worried… (its new… Whaddya expect?)

If using f/22 would damage the lens, it would NOT be an option.

Exactly how do you think using a small aperture would damage or ruin your lens? I want to understand your logic here

No, you're quite safe. I can't think of any camera settings that can damage the camera. And well done you for using manual rather that auto/programme mode.

Great not to be using automatic well done, now have a look at the video about aperture http://www.mccordall.com/photography/ it will help you a lot, also there's no risk on any camera or lens settings that will hurt the camera or lens except a long exposure towards the sun.

If using f22 were going to cause damage to the lens, Nikon wouldn't have put f22 on it, would they?

If you believe your lens is making abnormal noises, take it to a camera or repair shop.

While you're out and about, you should also buy a basic photography manual to read alongside the users manual for both the lens and camera. I imagine if you think that using f22 will naturally damage a lens, you have a lot of other basic things to read about.

Yes, it's perfectly safe - if it were not, you wouldn't be able to set that value.

There's little reason to ever use that aperture value though, as such small apertures are seriously deleterious to sharpness due to an optical effect called 'diffraction', thus basically defeating the purpose of using it. Just take some test shots with f/11, f/16 and f/22 and compare them…

Of course it's safe, you can safely set a lens to any aperture it supports. However, it might not be a good idea to use a really small aperture.

Really small apertures can cause diffraction - which causes slight blurring, and a lack of sharpness in your images, but it won't do anything to damage your lens.

The noises you are hearing, is probably the lens refocussing.