How do you say "short" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "short" is 短い (Mijikai). It is a adjective pronounced "mee-jee-kah-ee".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Pronunciation

短い is written in kanji and hiragana. Romanised as Mijikai, it sounds roughly like "mee-jee-kah-ee" to an English ear.

Example sentence

この鉛筆はとても短いです。

Kono enpitsu wa totemo mijikai desu.

This pencil is very short.

Usage notes

Mijikai (短い) is an i-adjective meaning short in length or duration. For describing a person's height as short, use se ga hikui (背が低い) rather than mijikai, which refers to length.

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Questions about 短い

How do you pronounce 短い?

短い is romanised as Mijikai. Say it roughly like "mee-jee-kah-ee" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 短い formal or casual?

短い is an i-adjective. The form shown is the plain form, which works in casual speech. To make it polite, add desu at the end of the sentence. The word itself does not change.

How is 短い written in Japanese?

短い is written using kanji and hiragana. Kanji characters carry the core meaning; any hiragana or katakana that follow show grammatical endings.

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation.