短 — “short” in Japanese

Grade 3たん, みじか

Radical ⽮ · radical 111 The building block this kanji is filed under

“short” in Japanese is 短, read tan, mijika (たん, みじか). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 短期 (short term).

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What does 短 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	短
Meaning	short
Readings	たん, みじか
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	短期 (short term)

How to read 短

短 is read tan (たん) or mijika (みじか) depending on the word.

Words with 短

短冊たんざく
短期

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Kanji read the same way as 短

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

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Updated: 2026-08-28