Meaning of 矮
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (of a person) short
- (of a wall etc) low
- (of rank) inferior (to); lower (than)
How to use 矮
矮 describes people who are short in height and things like walls, tables or buildings that are low. It is the opposite of 高 (gāo). Example: 他比我矮一点。(Tā bǐ wǒ ǎi yìdiǎn.) He is a little shorter than me.
矮 (ǎi) has 矢 (shǐ, arrow) on the left and 委 (wěi) on the right. Picture a short arrow that only reaches someone of small height, and you have "short" or "low".
Common mistake: Learners often use 短 (duǎn) for a short person, but 短 means short in length or time. For height, use 矮. Also remember the third tone: ǎi, not ài (爱, love).
矮 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.
矮 ǎi · short · 13 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 矮.
Questions about 矮
What does 矮 mean?
矮 (ǎi) means "(of a person) short; (of a wall etc) low" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 矮?
矮 is made of 1 character: 矮 (13 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 矮 an HSK word?
Yes. 矮 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is it rude to call someone 矮子 (ǎizi)?
Yes, 矮子 can sound insulting, like calling someone a shorty. To describe height politely, say 个子不高 (gèzi bù gāo), which means not very tall.
Can 矮 be used for rank or status?
Yes. 矮 can mean lower in rank than someone, as in 他比我矮一级 (tā bǐ wǒ ǎi yì jí), he is one grade below me. This use is less common than the physical meaning.