短い
mijikai[mʲiʑika̠i]
The English word "short" is expressed in Japanese as 短い (mijikai).
短い is the most standard and neutral term for describing something as being short in length. It can also be used to describe someone's temperament in the phrase 気が短い, which means to be short-tempered or impatient.
Meaning: abrupt, brief, pointed, petulant (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "was short", use the past tense form 短かった. To say "is not short", use the negative form 短くない. If you want to express a conditional "if it is short", use 短ければ.
How do you pronounce it?
mijikai
Did you know?
- While 短い describes length and time, Japanese uses a completely different word, 低い ('low'), to describe a person who is short in stature.
- In Japanese, the concept of a 'short cut' or 'shortcut' is often expressed using the word 近道 ('near road') rather than a derivative of 短い.
- The word 短い is found in the Man'yōshū, the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry dating back to around 759 CE.
Examples in context
- 人生は短い。Life is short.This sentence shows how to use 短い to describe the duration of life.Tatoeba #3496836 by arnab, translation #697222 by rpglover64
- 彼女の髪は短い。She has short hair.This sentence demonstrates using 短い to describe the length of hair.Tatoeba #94068 by bunbuku, translation #309638 by CK
- トムは気が短い。Tom has a short temper.This sentence shows the phrase 短い used to describe someone's temper.Tatoeba #2694272 by tommy_san, translation #2698658 by WestofEden
- 39 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are talking about a text message from a coworker.
- 蓮 Ren佐藤さんからのメール、短いね。Sato-san kara no mēru, mijikai ne.The email from Mr. Sato is quite brief, isn't it?
- 美咲 Misaki本当。少しぶっきらぼうな感じがする。Hontō. Sukoshi bukkirabō na kanji ga suru.True. It feels a little abrupt.
- 蓮 Ren美咲さんはどう思う？Misaki-san wa dō omou?What do you think, Misaki?
- 美咲 Misakiきっと、彼はとても忙しいんだと思う。Kitto, kare wa totemo isogashii n da to omou.I'm sure he is just very busy.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 短い, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
