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JLPT N112画 · 12 strokesradical 矢grade 3freq #689

short, brevity, fault, defect

Also: weak point

On'yomi (音読み)

  • タン

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • みじか.い

Mnemonic

Imagine a short arrow (矢) aiming towards the target, but missing just a bit, revealing its defect—this arrow symbolizes brevity.

About this kanji

The kanji 短 means "short" or "brevity." It is often used as a noun and in compound words. For example, 短歌 (たんか) refers to a traditional Japanese poem called a tanka, which is short in form. Another common compound is 短期 (たんき), meaning "short-term," useful when discussing time periods. You might also see 短縮 (たんしゅく), which means "shortening," such as in time or space. It's important to remember that while 短 generally indicates something is less in length, it can also refer to weaknesses or faults in certain contexts.

Example sentences

  • 短い時間で結果を出す。

    Produce results in a short time.

Meanings across languages

English
short, brevity, fault, defect, weak point
Tiếng Việt
ngắn, tính ngắn gọn, khuyết điểm, thiếu sót, điểm yếu
日本語
短い, 簡潔, 欠陥, 不足, 弱点
한국어
짧다, 간결함, 결함, 약점
中文
短, 简洁, 缺陷, 缺点, 弱点
id
pendek, singkat, kesalahan, cacat, kelemahan
th
สั้น, ความสั้น, ข้อผิดพลาด, ข้อบกพร่อง, จุดอ่อน
es
corto, brevedad, falta, defecto, punto débil
fr
court, brève, faute, défaut, point faible
de
kurz, Kürze, Fehler, Defekt, Schwachpunkt
pt
curto, brevidade, falha, defeito, ponto fraco

Common compounds

  • 短歌たんかtanka, 31-mora Japanese poem
  • 短期たんきshort-term
  • 短縮たんしゅくshortening, contraction, reduction
  • 短大たんだいjunior college, vocationally oriented post-secondary institution offering two or three-year programs
  • 長短ちょうたん(relative) length, advantages and disadvantages, pluses and minuses
  • 最短さいたんshortest
  • 短いみじかいshort, brief
  • 短気たんきshort temper, quick temper, hot temper

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