สั้น
short
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 short、brief、concise
- 2 briefly、concisely
This basic word describes something as having limited length, duration, distance, or verbal content. It broadly corresponds to “short” or “brief.”
short、brief、concise
Describes something as not long in physical length, duration, distance, or amount of verbal content.
-
เขาไว้ผมสั้น khǎw wáy phǒm sân They wear their hair short. เขาไว้ผมสั้น details
Show more (1)
-
เวลาสั้นมาก weelaa sân mâak The time is very short. เวลาสั้นมาก details
briefly、concisely
Modifies speaking, answering, or explaining to mean that it is done briefly or in few words, commonly in the repeated form สั้น ๆ.
-
ช่วยอธิบายสั้น ๆอีกที chûay àthíbaay sân sân ìik thii Could you briefly explain it again? ช่วยอธิบายสั้น ๆอีกที details
-
เขาตอบสั้น ๆ ว่า “ไม่” khǎw tɔ̀ɔp sân sân wâa mây They answered briefly, “No.” เขาตอบสั้น ๆ ว่า “ไม่” details
Learning notes
Explanation
The core image of สั้น is limited extension: something does not reach very far from one end to the other or does not continue for long. It applies to physical length, such as ropes, hair, clothing, and limbs, as well as duration, distance, speech, and writing. It usually follows the noun it describes. ผมสั้น can mean “short hair” or “the hair is short,” while เวลาสั้น means “a short amount of time.” สั้นกว่า means “shorter,” สั้นลง means “become shorter,” and สั้นไป or สั้นเกินไป means “too short.” When modifying an action, the repeated form สั้น ๆ is common, as in พูดสั้น ๆ, “speak briefly.” Learners may also encounter สระเสียงสั้น, meaning “short vowel.”
Usage
It is common when discussing haircuts, clothing length, the size of objects, or comparisons of time, duration, and distance. It also appears in names for short-form works and in requests to keep an explanation or answer brief.
Caution
Do not normally use สั้น for a person’s height; use เตี้ย instead. สั้น is appropriate for the length of a body part, as in ขาสั้น, “short legs.” ตอบสั้น ๆ can simply mean “answer briefly,” but depending on the situation it may suggest a curt or unfriendly answer.
Differences from similar words
1 short synonyms
-
กระชับ describes wording that is compact and well-focused. สั้น simply says that something is not long and does not necessarily imply that it is clear or well organized.
-
เตี้ย means “short” in height, especially for a person or an upright object. สั้น refers to limited length, as with a rope, hair, or limbs.