TongTong
Sign in

矮 (ǎi) — short (in height)

Definition

矮 (ǎi) means short in height, for people and things standing upright. Unlike 短 (short in length/duration) and 低 (low in level/position), 矮 is specifically about vertical height.

adjective
short (in height)

Examples

  • 矮。
    Zhè kē shù hěn ǎi.
    This tree is very short.
  • 矮。
    Tā bǐ wǒ ǎi.
    He is shorter than me.
  • 矮。
    Nà ge fáng zi tài ǎi le.
    That house is too short.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
矢矢shǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
委
委wěi矮ǎi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

矮 is made of 矢 and 委: 矢 relates to the meaning, and 委 gives the sound.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3HSK 2.0 Level 3Size & Dimension5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 3 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.