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
| Afrikaans | kort | ||
| Kort is an archaic form of the word kort and is still used in some dialects and in certain contexts. | |||
| Amharic | አጭር | ||
| አጭር, used to denote small quantities of a substance, is thought to have derived from the Cushitic root "*q'r" meaning "few, small, young." | |||
| Hausa | gajere | ||
| In Hausa, "gajere" can also refer to 'a shortage' or a 'deficiency' | |||
| Igbo | mkpụmkpụ | ||
| The word “mkpụmkpụ” can also mean “briefly” or “in a short while” in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | fohy | ||
| 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'. | |||
| Shona | pfupi | ||
| The word 'pfupi' in Shona is also used as a prefix to imply 'a small amount of'. | |||
| Somali | gaaban | ||
| Gaaban is possibly a loanword from the Arabic word "qābin" which refers to the length of the forearm. | |||
| Sesotho | khutšoanyane | ||
| The word | |||
| Swahili | fupi | ||
| Fupi's initial meaning was 'stump' before it expanded to include 'short'. | |||
| Xhosa | mfutshane | ||
| "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 | |||
| Yoruba | kukuru | ||
| The Yoruba term 'kukuru' has cognates denoting brevity in other Niger-Congo languages, like the Ewe 'kɔkɔ'. | |||
| Zulu | mfushane | ||
| Mfushane is derived from the verb "fushana", meaning to diminish, shrink, or reduce. | |||
| Bambara | surun | ||
| Ewe | kpuie | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ngufi | ||
| Lingala | mokuse | ||
| Luganda | obumpi | ||
| Sepedi | kopana | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tiawa | ||
Short in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | قصيرة | ||
| 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. | |||
| Hebrew | קצר | ||
| 'קצר' also means 'impatient' or 'short-tempered' | |||
| Pashto | لنډ | ||
| The word "لنډ" ("short") in Pashto also means "shortened" or "cut off". | |||
| Arabic | قصيرة | ||
| 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
| Albanian | shkurt | ||
| "Shkurt" is also the name of a month in Albanian that corresponds to February in English. | |||
| Basque | laburra | ||
| The word "laburra" can also mean "narrow" or "brief". | |||
| Catalan | curt | ||
| The word "curt" in Catalan, besides meaning "short", can also mean "unpleasant". | |||
| Croatian | kratak | ||
| In linguistics, the word "kratak" (short) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "kortokъ", meaning "to cut off" or "to shorten". | |||
| Danish | kort | ||
| The word "kort" in Danish also means "map" or "chart". | |||
| Dutch | kort | ||
| "Kort" can also refer to a piece of cloth worn under a doublet or jacket in the Middle Ages | |||
| English | short | ||
| The word 'short' derives from the Old English 'sceort' meaning 'short, brief, narrow' or from the Middle English 'shorten' meaning 'to make shorter'. | |||
| French | court | ||
| In French, the word "court" can also refer to a tennis court or a basketball court. | |||
| Frisian | koart | ||
| "Koart" in Frisian is derived from the Proto-Germanic word *kurtaz, meaning "short" or "truncated". | |||
| Galician | curto | ||
| In Galician, "curto" shares its root with "curtocircuíto" (short circuit), suggesting a connection between physical and electrical shortness. | |||
| German | kurz | ||
| In German, the word "kurz" can also mean "brief" or "temporary". | |||
| Icelandic | stutt | ||
| The word "stutt" can also mean "dull" or "blunt". | |||
| Irish | gearr | ||
| The word "gearr" also means "near" or "prompt" in Irish. | |||
| Italian | corto | ||
| Corto in Italian can also refer to a type of coffee or a short film in filmmaking. | |||
| Luxembourgish | kuerz | ||
| Maltese | qasir | ||
| 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." | |||
| Norwegian | kort | ||
| 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 Gaelic | goirid | ||
| The word "goirid" can also refer to a short period of time. | |||
| Spanish | corto | ||
| "Corto" can also mean "film" as in short film and derives from the french "court-métrage" meaning literally "short-meter". | |||
| Swedish | kort | ||
| The word "kort" can also refer to a card or a map in Swedish. | |||
| Welsh | byr | ||
| The Welsh word | |||
Short in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | кароткі | ||
| The word "кароткі" can also mean "brief" or "concise" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | kratko | ||
| The word "kratko" can also mean "briefly, in short". | |||
| Bulgarian | къс | ||
| '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'). | |||
| Czech | krátký | ||
| The word "krátký" also has the figurative meaning of "insufficient" or "ephemeral." | |||
| Estonian | lühike | ||
| Estonian 'lühike' is derived from Proto-Finno-Ugric and is cognate with Finnish 'lyhyt' ('short') and Hungarian 'rövid' ('short'). | |||
| Finnish | lyhyt | ||
| The word "lyhyt" is related to the word "lykkä" meaning "to postpone" or "to delay". | |||
| Hungarian | rövid | ||
| "Rövid" comes from the Old Hungarian word "rö" meaning "fly" or "leap" and its suffix "-id" meaning "similar to" or "having the characteristics of". | |||
| Latvian | īss | ||
| Īss can also mean "sharp" (of a point) or "close" (of time). | |||
| Lithuanian | trumpas | ||
| The word "trumpas" also means "brief" and is related to the word "trumpa" meaning "horn". | |||
| Macedonian | кратко | ||
| "Кратко" can also mean "briefly" or "in a nutshell". | |||
| Polish | krótki | ||
| The word "krótki" also means "brief" or "short-lived". | |||
| Romanian | mic de statura | ||
| The Romanian word "mic de statura" is a calque of the Latin phrase "parvus staturae", which means "small in size". | |||
| Russian | короткая | ||
| The Russian word "короткая" can also mean "in short", "brief" or "concise". | |||
| Serbian | кратак | ||
| "Kratak" originates from the Old Church Slavonic word "kratьkъ", meaning "quickly" or "soon". | |||
| Slovak | krátky | ||
| In Czech 'krátky' means 'short', but in Slovak it means 'beautiful'. | |||
| Slovenian | kratek | ||
| "Kratek" is a word used to describe both something that is physically short, and something that is lacking in detail. | |||
| Ukrainian | короткий | ||
| The Ukrainian word "короткий" can also mean "temporary" or "for a short period of time". | |||
Short in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সংক্ষিপ্ত | ||
| The word 'সংক্ষিপ্ত' (short) in Bengali also refers to 'abridged' or 'concise'. | |||
| Gujarati | ટૂંકું | ||
| The Gujarati word 'ટૂંકું' can also refer to a summary, an outline, or a précis. | |||
| Hindi | कम | ||
| The word 'कम' also means 'less' or 'few' in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಚಿಕ್ಕದಾಗಿದೆ | ||
| In Kannada, "ಚಿಕ್ಕದಾಗಿದೆ" not only means "short" in length but also "young" or "immature" in age. | |||
| Malayalam | ഹ്രസ്വമാണ് | ||
| Marathi | लहान | ||
| The Marathi word "लहान" (lahān) can also refer to a "younger sibling" or "a child". | |||
| Nepali | छोटो | ||
| 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. | |||
| Punjabi | ਛੋਟਾ | ||
| 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. | |||
| Tamil | குறுகிய | ||
| The Tamil word "குறுகிய" (kurukiya) is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root *kur-, meaning "to cut" or "to be short". | |||
| Telugu | చిన్నది | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "short", "చిన్నది" can also mean "young" or "small". | |||
| Urdu | مختصر | ||
| "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 | ||
| "短" also means "weakness, defect, or fault". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 短 | ||
| "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. | |||
| Korean | 짧은 | ||
| 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'. | |||
| Mongolian | богино | ||
| 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
| Indonesian | pendek | ||
| "Pendek" also means "shallow" (of water depth). | |||
| Javanese | cekak | ||
| The term 'cekak' is also used figuratively to refer to a person's memory or knowledge. | |||
| Khmer | ខ្លី | ||
| In some contexts, the word "ខ្លី" can refer to a person who has a short temper or who gets angry easily. | |||
| Lao | ສັ້ນ | ||
| In Lao, "ສັ້ນ" not only means "short" but can also refer to "lacking" or "incomplete". | |||
| Malay | pendek | ||
| The Malay word "pendek" also has alternate meanings in Old Javanese, including "short in height" and "small in quantity". | |||
| Thai | สั้น | ||
| สั้น may also mean "lacking" or "insufficient". | |||
| Vietnamese | ngắn | ||
| 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
| Azerbaijani | qısa | ||
| The word "qısa" can also mean "brief" or "concise" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | қысқа | ||
| The word "қысқа" also means "brief" or "concise" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кыска | ||
| The word "кыска" in Kyrgyz can also mean "tail" or "stump", depending on context. | |||
| Tajik | кӯтоҳ | ||
| The word "кӯтоҳ" in Tajik can also refer to something that is incomplete or unfinished. | |||
| Turkmen | gysga | ||
| Uzbek | qisqa | ||
| The word "qisqa" can also mean "brief" or "concise" in Uzbek, implying a lack of length or duration. | |||
| Uyghur | قىسقا | ||
Short in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pōkole | ||
| Hawaiian word pōkole means “of short stature” or “stubborn” and can also indicate a “thickset” or “stout” individual. | |||
| Maori | poto | ||
| The Maori word "poto" also refers to a section of a river or a type of small canoe. | |||
| Samoan | puʻupuʻu | ||
| The word "puʻupuʻu" could also refer to being stubby, dumpy, round, or chubby. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | maikli | ||
Short in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jisk'a | ||
| Guarani | mbyky | ||
Short in International Languages
| Esperanto | mallonga | ||
| The word "mallonga" is derived from the Latin word "mallus", meaning "hammer" or "mallet". | |||
| Latin | brevis | ||
| "Brevis" also means "ephemeral" or "momentary". | |||
Short in Others Languages
| Greek | μικρός | ||
| The word "μικρός" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *mei- or *meiǵ- meaning "to cut off" or "to cut short." | |||
| Hmong | luv | ||
| The word "luv" in Hmong can also mean 'to cut off' or 'to be short of' something. | |||
| Kurdish | nizm | ||
| "Nizm" also means "rule" or "system" and is the origin of the word "nizam" in Turkish and Arabic. | |||
| Turkish | kısa | ||
| 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. | |||
| Xhosa | mfutshane | ||
| "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 | |||
| Yiddish | קורץ | ||
| 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. | |||
| Zulu | mfushane | ||
| Mfushane is derived from the verb "fushana", meaning to diminish, shrink, or reduce. | |||
| Assamese | চুটি | ||
| Aymara | jisk'a | ||
| Bhojpuri | नाटुर | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުރު | ||
| Dogri | लौहका | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maikli | ||
| Guarani | mbyky | ||
| Ilocano | ababa | ||
| Krio | shɔt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کورت | ||
| Maithili | छोट | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯦꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tawi | ||
| Oromo | gabaabaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସଂକ୍ଷିପ୍ତ | ||
| Quechua | taka | ||
| Sanskrit | वामनः | ||
| Tatar | кыска | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓፂር | ||
| Tsonga | koma | ||