قصير
qaṣīr/qa.sˤiːr/
The Arabic word for short is قصير (qaṣīr).
قصير can be used to describe a short person, an object or any other thing. It can also carry meanings such as abrupt, brief, pointed or petulant.
Meaning: abrupt, brief, pointed, petulant (adj)
Which one should you use?
قصير is the direct antonym of طويل, which means both 'tall' for people and height and 'long' for length or duration.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender with the noun it describes. Use the feminine form قصيرة for feminine nouns. Additionally, the word takes different case endings depending on its grammatical role, such as the nominative قصيرٌ, the accusative قصيراً.
How do you pronounce it?
qaṣīr
Did you know?
- The root of قصير is used in the word تقصير, which refers to falling short of one's duties or neglecting a responsibility.
- The word قصير is a cognate of the Hebrew word 'katsár' and the Amharic word 'ač̣ər'.
- Because قصير can mean 'brief' or 'abrupt', using it to describe a person's reply can actually serve as a subtle way to say they were being 'short' with you in a petulant manner.
Examples in context
- شعر توم قصير حقا.Tom's hair is really short.This sentence shows how to use قصير to describe hair.Tatoeba #7739656 by MisterBrown, translation #7737825 by CK
- كان شعر زيري قصيرا.Ziri was short-haired.This sentence shows a use of قصير in a different grammatical case.Tatoeba #10979499 by Amghar, translation #10204492 by Amastan
- حاول أن يكتب قصةً قصيرةً.He tried writing a short story.This sentence shows how to use قصيرة for a feminine noun like a story.Tatoeba #2602902 by Samer, translation #298231 by CK
- هو قصير القامة.He is short in height.
- قصير جداً، يبدو أنك تحتاج إلى سلم!You are very short, looks like you need a ladder!
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ziyad and Sarah are discussing a phone call with a manager.
- زياد Ziadهل لاحظت كيف كان رد المدير قصيرًا؟hal lahadta kayfa kana radd al-mudir qasiran?Did you notice how short the manager's response was?
- سارة Saraنعم، بدا غاضبًا جدًا اليوم.na'am, bada ghadiban jiddan al-yawm.Yes, he seemed very angry today.
- زياد Ziadلم يكن قصيرًا فحسب، بل كان وقحًا أيضًا.lam yakun qasiran fahasb, bal kana waqihan aydan.He wasn't just short, he was rude too.
- سارة Saraربما هو متوتر بسبب العمل.rubbama huwa mutawattir bisabab al-'amal.Maybe he is stressed because of work.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry قصير, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries قصير, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
