Key Facts
- Hangul: 짧다 (jjalda)
- Meaning: short
- Level: A1
- Stem: 짧
- Conjugation class: regular
- Particles: The thing described takes 이/가, as in 치마가 짧아요.
- Spoken as: [짤따]
What Does 짧다 Mean?
짧다 means short in length or time, as in 머리가 짧다. It pairs with 머리, 치마 and 시간, and the opposite is 길다. The thing described takes 이/가, as in 치마가 짧아요. Both uses are common: 휴가가 짧다 describes a time that ends too soon, while 머리가 짧다 describes the length of hair. Height of a person is not 짧다: 키가 작다 is the right phrase. 낮다 is for low position and is a different idea.
How Do You Pronounce 짧다?
The dictionary form has 2 syllables and is spoken [짤따]. The double batchim ㄼ is reduced to ㄹ before a consonant, and the ㄷ turns tense. The initial tense ㅉ is written jj in Revised Romanization. Before a vowel the ㅂ comes back, so 짧아요 is [짤바요] and 짧은 is [짤븐].
How Do You Use 짧다 in a Sentence?
이 치마는 저한테 너무 짧아요.
This skirt is too short for me.
이 치마는 makes the skirt the topic, and 너무 짧아요 says it is too short.
휴가가 짧아서 아쉬웠어요.
The vacation was short, which was a pity.
휴가가 짧아서 gives the reason, and 아쉬웠어요 reports the feeling in the past.
짧은 영화를 보고 싶어요.
I want to watch a short movie.
The modifier 짧은 sits before 영화, so the sentence is I want to watch a short movie, using 보고 싶어요.
How Does Jjalda Conjugation Work?
짧다 is regular. The ㅏ in the stem takes 아: 짧아요, 짧았어요, 짧아서. The modifier is 짧은. As an adjective it takes no -고 싶다. Like other adjectives, 짧다 keeps its dictionary form as the plain written present, and the plain past is 짧았다, as in a diary entry about a holiday that ended too soon.
짧다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 짧아요 | ||
| Polite past | 짧았어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 짧을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 짧겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 짧습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 짧았습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 짧을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 짧아 | ||
| Casual past | 짧았어 | ||
| Casual future | 짧을 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 짧으세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 짧아서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 짧으면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 짧은 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 짧았던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 짧을 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 짧아요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 짧지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 짧아요 | [짤바요] |
| Polite past | 짧았어요 | [짤바써요] |
| Plan future | 짧을 거예요 | [짤블꺼예요] |
| Guess future | 짧겠어요 | [짤께써요] |
| Formal present | 짧습니다 | [짤씀니다] |
| Formal past | 짧았습니다 | [짤받씀니다] |
| Formal future | 짧을 것입니다 | [짤블꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 짧아 | [짤바] |
| Casual past | 짧았어 | [짤바써] |
| Casual future | 짧을 거야 | [짤블꺼야] |
| Honorific | 짧으세요 | [짤브세요] |
| Because | 짧아서 | [짤바서] |
| If | 짧으면 | [짤브면] |
| Present modifier | 짧은 | [짤븐] |
| Past modifier | 짧았던 | [짤받떤] |
| Future modifier | 짧을 | [짤블] |
| Short negative | 안 짧아요 | [안 짤바요] |
| Long negative | 짧지 않아요 | [짤찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 키가 짧아요
Correct: ✓ 키가 작아요
Why: 키가 짧아요 sounds as if your height were a length like a skirt. For a person, the phrase is 키가 작아요.
How It Differs from Similar Words
| Word | How to tell it apart |
|---|---|
| 작다 | 작다 means small in size, and the height of a person. |
| 낮다 | 낮다 is for low position. 짧다 is not used for low height. |
Trying on a Skirt
A shopper compares a skirt with one she tried earlier. The assistant offers to look for a longer one. All three lines concern garment length, so 짧다 is the natural adjective.
Shopper
이 치마는 너무 짧아요.
I chimaneun neomu jjalbayo.
This skirt is too short.
Assistant
아까 입은 치마도 짧았어요?
Akka ibeun chimado jjalbasseoyo?
Was the skirt you tried on earlier short too?
Shopper
네. 짧아서 불편해요.
Ne. Jjalbaseo bulpyeonhaeyo.
Yes. It is uncomfortable because it is short.
짧아요 gives the present assessment, 짧았어요 asks about the earlier skirt, and 짧아서 connects shortness to discomfort. 너무 makes the judgment “too short,” rather than simply “short.” The shopper is discussing length; if the whole garment were too small, 작다 would be more useful.
Common Phrases beyond a Short Skirt
시간이 짧다 means that a period of time is short. 휴가가 짧다 applies the same idea to a vacation. Neither phrase tells you how many tasks there are; they describe the available duration. A short trip can still contain many activities, just as a short film can contain a complicated story.
짧은 머리 means “short hair.” The adjective goes before the noun as 짧은, while 머리가 짧아요 makes a complete statement. At a salon, the noun 머리 often means hair rather than the physical head. The surrounding discussion of cutting or styling makes that meaning clear.
입이 짧다 literally refers to a “short mouth,” but it describes someone who is picky about food or eats little. It does not describe mouth size. The National Institute of Korean Language’s explanation confirms both meanings. A family conversation about a child’s eating habits may use this phrase; context tells you whether food preferences or small portions are the concern.
말이 짧다 can criticize someone for speaking without the expected polite endings. The issue is the level of respect, not simply the number of words. Because it comments on someone’s manners, it can sound confrontational. Recognize the phrase in dialogue before using it to describe a person directly.
Where Will You See or Hear 짧다?
Clothing reviews use 짧다 for sleeves, trousers and skirts. A review may find a sleeve short even when the shirt otherwise fits. That is why length and overall size need separate adjectives: 짧다 tells you about one measured direction, while 작다 assesses size more generally.
Video descriptions and everyday recommendations use 짧은 영상 for a short video. Here the length is running time. With written material, a short text also uses the idea of length, even though the reader sees words rather than a physical distance. In both cases, 짧은 introduces the thing before its noun.
짧아요 is suitable when politely describing an item to a shop assistant. 짧습니다 belongs to a more formal explanation. The honorific 짧으세요 is not needed just because the listener is older: a skirt or a film is not a person you honor. Politeness to the listener is already supplied by 요.
Words for Comparing Length and Size
| Related word | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 길이 | length | The dimension assessed with 짧다 and 길다. |
| 소매 | sleeve | A sleeve can be short while the shirt fits. |
| 길다 | to be long | The direct opposite for length or duration. |
| 작다 | to be small | Used for overall size and a person’s short stature. |
Compare these dimensions in the size adjectives lesson.
Keep the Spelling When the Sound Changes
The ㄼ in 짧 stays in writing in 짧아요, 짧은 and 짧습니다. Hearing only ㄹ before a consonant does not mean you should remove ㅂ from the written stem. Before a vowel, both parts of the cluster become audible across the syllable boundary.
짧은 is a present description, even though an action verb often uses -는 before a noun. Since 짧다 is an adjective, 짧은 영화 means a film whose running time is short. The form does not mean that the film used to be short. The past recollection form in the table, 짧았던, explicitly looks back.
Mini Drill: Practice the Forms
- Turn 짧다 into a polite present statement.
- Put 짧다 before 영화: ____ 영화.
- Complete the reason form “because it is short”: 짧____.
- Choose the adjective for a person’s short height: 짧다 or 작다.
Show drill answers
- 짧아요. The written stem retains ㄼ.
- 짧은 영화. This is the adjective modifier.
- 짧아서. The stem vowel selects 아.
- 작다; say 키가 작아요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 입이 짧다 describe mouth size?
- Does a short sleeve necessarily mean the whole shirt is small?
- Why does 짧은 영상 use 짧다?
Show answers
- No. It describes picky eating or eating little.
- No. 짧다 identifies length; overall size is a different judgment.
- Because the video has a short running time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say My Hair Is Short?
Say 머리가 짧아요.
Can I Describe a Person's Height as 짧다?
No. Say 키가 작아요.
What Is the Opposite?
길다.
Does It Apply to Time?
Yes, 휴가가 짧아서 is a common example.
Which Words Are Related to 짧다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Pair 짧다 with 길다, then compare 작다 and 낮다. The pattern behind 짧다 is covered in how to conjugate Korean verbs in the present tense; to check any other form, open the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the Korean verb dictionary.