How to say 'Short' in Japanese | 短

Wondering how to say 'Short' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Short is 'Tan', written as 短 in Japanese.'Short' in hiragana is たん.

word

短

Meaning

Short

Reading

たん

tan

Kanji

短Short

Explanation

The Japanese prefix '短 (たん)' means 'short'. It is commonly used in compound words to indicate something of short duration, length, or brevity. For example: short-term「短期」(たんき). short story「短編」(たんぺん). It can also be used in contexts like short hair「短髪」(たんぱつ). This prefix is versatile and often paired with other kanji to form words related to time, physical length, or abstract concepts of brevity.

Part Of Speech

prefix

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

4063

Composition

kanji

Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 短

This word contains 1 kanji character:

kanji

短

Meaning

Short

Words Related to 短 Through the Kanji 短

These 6 Words contain the Kanji 短 as well.

word

短い

Meaning

Short

word

短期

Meaning

Short term

word

短大

Meaning

Junior college

word

短所

Meaning

Weakness

word

短期大学

Meaning

Junior college

word

短縮

Meaning

Shortening

Learn the Word 短

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What does 'Tan' (短) mean?

'Tan' means 'Short' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.