<p>矮 short (as opposed to 高 tall) vertically short</p>
<p>For example, a person, a building, a wall can be 高 or 矮.</p>
<p>短 short (as opposed to 長 long) horizontally short</p>
<p>For example, a street, a piece of string can be 長 or 短.</p>
<p>You may wonder, what about things like pants? When they are on someone's body, they are vertical. With articles of clothing, it's always 長 or 短, because the orientation is dependent on the person wearing them. On their own, the pants cannot stay &quot;vertical&quot; and therefore are not considered &quot;vertical&quot; objects.</p>
<p>長 or 短 is also used for abstract things, for instance, a long day, a short engagement, a short wait ... etc.</p>
<p>Are there exceptions? I can't think of any right now, but others may like to chime in. Hope this helps.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-15T23:37:36.153Z
2021-01-15T23:56:21.077Z
2021-01-15T23:56:21.077Z
monalisa
<p>矮 usually describes short in &quot;Height&quot; (buildings, trees, tables, people...);</p>
<p>短 is more general (sticks, wires, distance)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-15T23:26:41.053Z
2021-01-15T23:26:41.053Z
yydy
<p>If you're looking for a word-to-word or term-to-term translation to phrases that are used in the English language, I would say:
矮 = vertically challenged
短 = insufficiently long, insufficiently far</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-16T22:58:20.187Z
2021-01-16T22:58:20.187Z
kwaalaateimaa
<p>What is the difference between 矮 and 短. Both seem to mean &quot;short,&quot; so how can they be differentiated?</p>

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2021-01-15T23:55:21.590Z
矮 is opposite to tall. It can be used to describe a person 矮人, building 矮屋, wall 矮牆, etc.短 usually means short in length such as short letter 短信, short distance 短距離, short hands and legs 手短腳短, short time 短時間. Occasionally, it also refers to height as in 短小 = 矮小.
joehua
<meaning><difference>
What is the difference between 矮 and 短
# What is the difference between 矮 and 短

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-01-15)

What is the difference between 矮 and 短. Both seem to mean "short," so how can they be differentiated?

**Tags:** meaning, difference
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 矮 is opposite to tall. It can be used to describe a person 矮人, building 矮屋, wall 矮牆, etc.短 usually means short in length such as short letter 短信, short distance 短距離, short hands and legs 手短腳短, short time 短時間. Occasionally, it also refers to height as in 短小 = 矮小.  

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-01-15. Score: 3

矮 short (as opposed to 高 tall) vertically short

For example, a person, a building, a wall can be 高 or 矮.

短 short (as opposed to 長 long) horizontally short

For example, a street, a piece of string can be 長 or 短.

You may wonder, what about things like pants? When they are on someone's body, they are vertical. With articles of clothing, it's always 長 or 短, because the orientation is dependent on the person wearing them. On their own, the pants cannot stay "vertical" and therefore are not considered "vertical" objects.

長 or 短 is also used for abstract things, for instance, a long day, a short engagement, a short wait ... etc.

Are there exceptions? I can't think of any right now, but others may like to chime in. Hope this helps.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2021-01-15. Score: 0

矮 usually describes short in "Height" (buildings, trees, tables, people...);

短 is more general (sticks, wires, distance)


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### Answer by username_4 on 2021-01-16. Score: 0

If you're looking for a word-to-word or term-to-term translation to phrases that are used in the English language, I would say:
矮 = vertically challenged
短 = insufficiently long, insufficiently far


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