Meaning of 短
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- short
- brief
- to lack
- weak point
- fault
How to use 短
短 (duǎn) describes length or time, like short hair, a short trip, or a short period. It pairs often with 长 (cháng) as its opposite. Example: 她的头发很短。 (Tā de tóufa hěn duǎn.) Her hair is very short.
Look at the left side 矢 (shǐ), an arrow, and the right side 豆 (dòu), a small bean or vessel. Picture measuring something with a short arrow and a tiny bean: neither is long, so the thing is short.
Common mistake: Learners often use 短 for a short person, but height uses 矮 (ǎi), so say 他很矮 (tā hěn ǎi), not 他很短. Also keep the third tone in 短信 (duǎnxìn) and do not flatten it to a first tone.
短 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
短 duǎn · short · 12 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 短.
| 短信 | duǎnxìn | text message; SMS |
| 短裤 | duǎnkù | short pants; shorts |
| 短期 | duǎnqī | short-term |
| 短处 | duǎnchù | shortcoming; defect |
| 缩短 | suōduǎn | to shorten; to reduce; to curtail |
| 短片 | duǎnpiàn | short film; video clip |
| 长短 | chángduǎn | length; accident; mishap |
| 短暂 | duǎnzàn | of short duration; brief; momentary |
| 简短 | jiǎnduǎn | brief (statement, summary etc); briefly |
| 短缺 | duǎnquē | shortage |
| 一长一短 | yī cháng yī duǎn | (idiom) talking endlessly; long-winded |
| 发短信 | fāduǎnxìn | to send a text message |
Questions about 短
What does 短 mean?
短 (duǎn) means "short; brief" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 短?
短 is made of 1 character: 短 (12 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 短 an HSK word?
Yes. 短 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 短 and 矮?
短 (duǎn) means short in length or time, such as a short rope or a short meeting. 矮 (ǎi) means short in height, used for people, buildings, or trees.
Can 短 mean a weakness or fault?
Yes. In words like 短处 (duǎnchù) it means a shortcoming, and the phrase 取长补短 (qǔ cháng bǔ duǎn) means to learn from others' strengths to make up for your own weak points.