Short in different languages

Short in Different Languages

Discover 'Short' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'short' carries significant meaning in English, referring to both a lack of length and a brevity in time or content. Its cultural importance is evident in literature, where succinctness can convey powerful messages, and in fashion, where 'short' styles come in and out of trend. But what about in other languages? Knowing the translation of 'short' in different languages can enrich your cultural competence and broaden your vocabulary.

For instance, in Spanish, 'short' translates to 'corto.' In French, it's 'court.' In German, 'short' is 'kurz.' In Japanese, 'short' is 'mijikai' or 'tanpaku,' depending on the context. In Russian, 'short' is 'korotkii.' These translations offer a glimpse into how different languages and cultures view and express the concept of 'shortness.'

Exploring the word 'short' in various languages can be a fun and fascinating journey, opening up new avenues of communication and understanding. So, whether you're a language learner, a cultural enthusiast, or simply curious, read on to discover more about the translations of 'short' in different languages.

Short


Short in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaanskort
Kort is an archaic form of the word kort and is still used in some dialects and in certain contexts.
Amharicአጭር
አጭር, used to denote small quantities of a substance, is thought to have derived from the Cushitic root "*q'r" meaning "few, small, young."
Hausagajere
In Hausa, "gajere" can also refer to 'a shortage' or a 'deficiency'
Igbomkpụmkpụ
The word “mkpụmkpụ” can also mean “briefly” or “in a short while” in Igbo.
Malagasyfohy
The word "fohy" in Malagasy also means "a little" or "a bit".
Nyanja (Chichewa)lalifupi
The word 'lalifupi' has other meanings in Nyanja, including 'brief' and 'summary'.
Shonapfupi
The word 'pfupi' in Shona is also used as a prefix to imply 'a small amount of'.
Somaligaaban
Gaaban is possibly a loanword from the Arabic word "qābin" which refers to the length of the forearm.
Sesothokhutšoanyane
The word
Swahilifupi
Fupi's initial meaning was 'stump' before it expanded to include 'short'.
Xhosamfutshane
"MFUTSHANE" (SHORT), IN XHOSA IS DERIVED FROM THE VERB "-FUTHUNA" (TO BE AT AN END), THUS CONVEYING THE NOTION OF A LACK OR ABSENCE IN LENGTH
Yorubakukuru
The Yoruba term 'kukuru' has cognates denoting brevity in other Niger-Congo languages, like the Ewe 'kɔkɔ'.
Zulumfushane
Mfushane is derived from the verb "fushana", meaning to diminish, shrink, or reduce.
Bambarasurun
Ewekpuie
Kinyarwandangufi
Lingalamokuse
Lugandaobumpi
Sepedikopana
Twi (Akan)tiawa

Short in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicقصيرة
The Arabic word "قصيرة" is derived from the root "ق-ص-ر" which means "to be short" and is related to the words "قاصر" (meaning "short") and "قصر" (meaning "palace") because palaces were traditionally short buildings.
Hebrewקצר
'קצר' also means 'impatient' or 'short-tempered'
Pashtoلنډ
The word "لنډ" ("short") in Pashto also means "shortened" or "cut off".
Arabicقصيرة
The Arabic word "قصيرة" is derived from the root "ق-ص-ر" which means "to be short" and is related to the words "قاصر" (meaning "short") and "قصر" (meaning "palace") because palaces were traditionally short buildings.

Short in Western European Languages

Albanianshkurt
"Shkurt" is also the name of a month in Albanian that corresponds to February in English.
Basquelaburra
The word "laburra" can also mean "narrow" or "brief".
Catalancurt
The word "curt" in Catalan, besides meaning "short", can also mean "unpleasant".
Croatiankratak
In linguistics, the word "kratak" (short) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "kortokъ", meaning "to cut off" or "to shorten".
Danishkort
The word "kort" in Danish also means "map" or "chart".
Dutchkort
"Kort" can also refer to a piece of cloth worn under a doublet or jacket in the Middle Ages
Englishshort
The word 'short' derives from the Old English 'sceort' meaning 'short, brief, narrow' or from the Middle English 'shorten' meaning 'to make shorter'.
Frenchcourt
In French, the word "court" can also refer to a tennis court or a basketball court.
Frisiankoart
"Koart" in Frisian is derived from the Proto-Germanic word *kurtaz, meaning "short" or "truncated".
Galiciancurto
In Galician, "curto" shares its root with "curtocircuíto" (short circuit), suggesting a connection between physical and electrical shortness.
Germankurz
In German, the word "kurz" can also mean "brief" or "temporary".
Icelandicstutt
The word "stutt" can also mean "dull" or "blunt".
Irishgearr
The word "gearr" also means "near" or "prompt" in Irish.
Italiancorto
Corto in Italian can also refer to a type of coffee or a short film in filmmaking.
Luxembourgishkuerz
Malteseqasir
In Maltese, "qasir" is related to "qasar," meaning "to lack" or "to be deficient," and ultimately to the Arabic "qa-sa-ra," signifying "to come up short" or "to fall below expectations."
Norwegiankort
In Norwegian, "kort" can also mean "map" or "deck of cards".
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)baixo
"Baixo" also means "low" in Portuguese, referring to height or volume.
Scots Gaelicgoirid
The word "goirid" can also refer to a short period of time.
Spanishcorto
"Corto" can also mean "film" as in short film and derives from the french "court-métrage" meaning literally "short-meter".
Swedishkort
The word "kort" can also refer to a card or a map in Swedish.
Welshbyr
The Welsh word

Short in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianкароткі
The word "кароткі" can also mean "brief" or "concise" in Belarusian.
Bosniankratko
The word "kratko" can also mean "briefly, in short".
Bulgarianкъс
'Къс' also means 'piece' or 'fragment' and is used in various contexts, such as 'къс хляб' ('piece of bread'), 'къс плат' ('piece of cloth'), and 'къс текст' ('fragment of text').
Czechkrátký
The word "krátký" also has the figurative meaning of "insufficient" or "ephemeral."
Estonianlühike
Estonian 'lühike' is derived from Proto-Finno-Ugric and is cognate with Finnish 'lyhyt' ('short') and Hungarian 'rövid' ('short').
Finnishlyhyt
The word "lyhyt" is related to the word "lykkä" meaning "to postpone" or "to delay".
Hungarianrövid
"Rövid" comes from the Old Hungarian word "rö" meaning "fly" or "leap" and its suffix "-id" meaning "similar to" or "having the characteristics of".
Latvianīss
Īss can also mean "sharp" (of a point) or "close" (of time).
Lithuaniantrumpas
The word "trumpas" also means "brief" and is related to the word "trumpa" meaning "horn".
Macedonianкратко
"Кратко" can also mean "briefly" or "in a nutshell".
Polishkrótki
The word "krótki" also means "brief" or "short-lived".
Romanianmic de statura
The Romanian word "mic de statura" is a calque of the Latin phrase "parvus staturae", which means "small in size".
Russianкороткая
The Russian word "короткая" can also mean "in short", "brief" or "concise".
Serbianкратак
"Kratak" originates from the Old Church Slavonic word "kratьkъ", meaning "quickly" or "soon".
Slovakkrátky
In Czech 'krátky' means 'short', but in Slovak it means 'beautiful'.
Sloveniankratek
"Kratek" is a word used to describe both something that is physically short, and something that is lacking in detail.
Ukrainianкороткий
The Ukrainian word "короткий" can also mean "temporary" or "for a short period of time".

Short in South Asian Languages

Bengaliসংক্ষিপ্ত
The word 'সংক্ষিপ্ত' (short) in Bengali also refers to 'abridged' or 'concise'.
Gujaratiટૂંકું
The Gujarati word 'ટૂંકું' can also refer to a summary, an outline, or a précis.
Hindiकम
The word 'कम' also means 'less' or 'few' in Hindi.
Kannadaಚಿಕ್ಕದಾಗಿದೆ
In Kannada, "ಚಿಕ್ಕದಾಗಿದೆ" not only means "short" in length but also "young" or "immature" in age.
Malayalamഹ്രസ്വമാണ്
Marathiलहान
The Marathi word "लहान" (lahān) can also refer to a "younger sibling" or "a child".
Nepaliछोटो
The word "छोटो" is derived from the Sanskrit word "kṣudra". Originally used for 'small', the meaning was later extended to include short as well as mean in quality.
Punjabiਛੋਟਾ
The word ਛੋਟਾ (chotta) also means 'insignificant' or 'worthless' in some contexts in Punjabi.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)කෙටි
The term "කෙටි" (keti) also means "thin" or "lean" in Sinhala.
Tamilகுறுகிய
The Tamil word "குறுகிய" (kurukiya) is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root *kur-, meaning "to cut" or "to be short".
Teluguచిన్నది
In addition to its primary meaning of "short", "చిన్నది" can also mean "young" or "small".
Urduمختصر
"مختصر" is also a term in Islamic jurisprudence referring to a type of legal manual summarizing religious rulings, derived from the root meaning "condensed."

Short in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)
"短" also means "weakness, defect, or fault".
Chinese (Traditional)
"短" may refer to the length, duration or the lack of something.
Japaneseショート
The Japanese word "ショート" can also refer to short circuit or shortwave.
Korean짧은
This Sino-Korean word is also used as an onomatopoeia for a 'crack' or 'pop' sound and as a noun that means 'a brief moment' or 'interval'.
Mongolianбогино
The word "богино" can also refer to a type of Mongolian horse with a short stature.
Myanmar (Burmese)တိုသည်
In older Myanmar grammar, တိုသည် was also used to mean a short vowel sound.

Short in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianpendek
"Pendek" also means "shallow" (of water depth).
Javanesecekak
The term 'cekak' is also used figuratively to refer to a person's memory or knowledge.
Khmerខ្លី
In some contexts, the word "ខ្លី" can refer to a person who has a short temper or who gets angry easily.
Laoສັ້ນ
In Lao, "ສັ້ນ" not only means "short" but can also refer to "lacking" or "incomplete".
Malaypendek
The Malay word "pendek" also has alternate meanings in Old Javanese, including "short in height" and "small in quantity".
Thaiสั้น
สั้น may also mean "lacking" or "insufficient".
Vietnamesengắn
The word "ngắn" shares the same root with the Thai word "ngan" and the Mandarin word "duan", all meaning "short".
Filipino (Tagalog)maikli

Short in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniqısa
The word "qısa" can also mean "brief" or "concise" in Azerbaijani.
Kazakhқысқа
The word "қысқа" also means "brief" or "concise" in Kazakh.
Kyrgyzкыска
The word "кыска" in Kyrgyz can also mean "tail" or "stump", depending on context.
Tajikкӯтоҳ
The word "кӯтоҳ" in Tajik can also refer to something that is incomplete or unfinished.
Turkmengysga
Uzbekqisqa
The word "qisqa" can also mean "brief" or "concise" in Uzbek, implying a lack of length or duration.
Uyghurقىسقا

Short in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianpōkole
Hawaiian word pōkole means “of short stature” or “stubborn” and can also indicate a “thickset” or “stout” individual.
Maoripoto
The Maori word "poto" also refers to a section of a river or a type of small canoe.
Samoanpuʻupuʻu
The word "puʻupuʻu" could also refer to being stubby, dumpy, round, or chubby.
Tagalog (Filipino)maikli

Short in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarajisk'a
Guaranimbyky

Short in International Languages

Esperantomallonga
The word "mallonga" is derived from the Latin word "mallus", meaning "hammer" or "mallet".
Latinbrevis
"Brevis" also means "ephemeral" or "momentary".

Short in Others Languages

Greekμικρός
The word "μικρός" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *mei- or *meiǵ- meaning "to cut off" or "to cut short."
Hmongluv
The word "luv" in Hmong can also mean 'to cut off' or 'to be short of' something.
Kurdishnizm
"Nizm" also means "rule" or "system" and is the origin of the word "nizam" in Turkish and Arabic.
Turkishkısa
The root word of "kısa" is the Persian word "kusata," which means "lack," and it can be used in Turkish to refer to a deficiency or insufficiency of something.
Xhosamfutshane
"MFUTSHANE" (SHORT), IN XHOSA IS DERIVED FROM THE VERB "-FUTHUNA" (TO BE AT AN END), THUS CONVEYING THE NOTION OF A LACK OR ABSENCE IN LENGTH
Yiddishקורץ
The Yiddish word "קורץ" (kurts) is derived from the German word "kurz" (short), and is also used in a figurative sense to describe something that is inadequate or lacking.
Zulumfushane
Mfushane is derived from the verb "fushana", meaning to diminish, shrink, or reduce.
Assameseচুটি
Aymarajisk'a
Bhojpuriनाटुर
Dhivehiކުރު
Dogriलौहका
Filipino (Tagalog)maikli
Guaranimbyky
Ilocanoababa
Krioshɔt
Kurdish (Sorani)کورت
Maithiliछोट
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯇꯦꯟꯕ
Mizotawi
Oromogabaabaa
Odia (Oriya)ସଂକ୍ଷିପ୍ତ
Quechuataka
Sanskritवामनः
Tatarкыска
Tigrinyaሓፂር
Tsongakoma

Click on a letter to browse words starting with that letter