短い

Japanese

Etymology 1

⟨mi₁zikasi⟩ → /mizikasi/ → /mid͡ʑikaɕi/ → /mid͡ʑikaki/ → /mid͡ʑikai/

From Old Japanese. Cited in the Man'yōshū, dated to roughly 759 CE.

Appears to be derived as a compound, but the constituent parts remain obscure. The stem form mijika is also found in compounds, and in the now-obsolete adjective forms 短やか (mijikayaka) and 短らか (mijikaraka), indicating that the ‑ka in mijika is not the adjectivizing suffix か (‑ka) (as in 静か shizuka), and is instead part of the root term.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) みじか​い (Nakadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Adjective

短(みじか)い • (mijikai) -i (adverbial 短(みじか)く (mijikaku))

1. short, brief

   Synonym: (Kagoshima) みひけ (mihike)

2. short, brief (in time)
3. short (in space, from one point to another)
4. short, brief (in length, such as a text or speech)
5. (archaic) short (in height)

   Mostly superseded in modern usage by 低い (hikui, “short”, in height).

6. common, not part of the aristocracy
7. short on intelligence or maturity: dimwitted, dull; shallow, superficial

   Synonyms: 鈍い (nibui, “dim, dull”), 浅薄 (senpaku, “shallow, superficial”)

8. short of attention: fickle, shallow-hearted, flighty

   Synonyms: 薄情 (hakujō, “shallow-hearted, fickle, unfeeling”), 変わりやすい (kawariyasui, “fickle, changeable, unsettled”)

9. short-tempered, impatient, impetuous

   Synonyms: せっかち (sekkachi, “hasty, impetuous”), 短気 (tanki, “quick-tempered, impatient”)

Inflection

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “short”): 長(なが)い (nagai): long

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Shift from standard Japanese mijikai.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Adjective

短(みちか)い • (michikai) -i (adverbial 短(みちか)く (michikaku))

1. (Ibaraki dialect) short, brief

References

Further reading

• Ibaraki dialect entry at Nihon Jiten (in Japanese)