# 低い, 短い for a person's height



## kachibi

Can both 低いand 短いbe used to talk about a person's height?

Under what situations they can be interchangeably used? Under what situations they are different?


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## frequency

You can use 低い to describe a person's height. But guess for which body part 短い can work?
Don't you have hanji 短, and does it mean short?


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## Flaminius

Kanji and Chinese characters are, *frequency*, "same same but different" and etymological arguments often betray us.  Admittedly 短身 is understood in Japanese contexts but that does not make 短い a good adjective for describing a person of short height.

The most common expression for a person to be short is:
彼は背が低い, predicatively and;
背が低い男, adnominally.


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## wind-sky-wind

In English, "short" is used about the length of something and the height of someone.
In Japanese, however, "短い" is used just about the length of something.
When someone is short, "低い" is used, and not "低い" (which means "low") but always "背が低い."

"背が小さい" or "背丈が小さい" is often used, but "（背が）短い" is never used.
Anyway, in Japanese, we say "背が..." when talking about the height of someone.

Just "小さい" is used when someone is small or young but it often suggests the person is short.


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## kachibi

An interesting question: why 背 is used? Because the backbone determines one's height?


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## wind-sky-wind

When Japanese people learn English, everybody is taught "tall" means "背が高い."

"背丈" means height or stature.
Possibly, "背" might be the shortened form of "背丈."
I don't think of "back" or "backbone" when I hear this "背."

This "背" is often pronounced as "せい sei."
"背比べ (sei-kurabe) means "seeing which of the two is taller,"
and we always say "sei-kurabe," not "se-kurabe."


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## kachibi

なるほど!

Then I can use 大きい to say that someone is tall? 背が大きい.


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## wind-sky-wind

We often say "背が大きい," though "背が高い" is more common.


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## frequency

Flaminius said:


> Kanji and Chinese characters are, *frequency*, "same same but different"


If 短 means _short_ in Chinese, too, I just imagine that 足が短い is easily understood by kachibi.


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## kachibi

Good, thank you!


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