Learn Japanese Adjectives: 「長い」and 「短い」
Step ①: Watch and Feel It
First, watch this YouTube video and try to intuitively understand what “長い” (ながい ) and “短い” (みじかい) mean in Japanese. No subtitles—try to guess like a detective! Watching Japanese videos without subtitles helps learners build a stronger intuitive understanding of the language.
By guessing the meaning first, your brain actively engages with the content, making the memory stick better.
Reading the blog explanation afterward then helps shift what you learned from short-term memory into long-term memory.
We’ll go over the explanation and grammar after you watch it. Once you’re done, move on to Step ②.
Step ②: Did you get the meaning?
“長い (long)” and “短い (short)” are adjectives often used to describe physical length or time.
Examples with nouns:
- 長いロープ (ながいロープ) – long rope
- 長い時間 (ながいじかん) – long time
- 長い髪 (ながいかみ) – long hair
- 長い鉛筆 (ながいえんぴつ) – long pencil
They can also be used alone, without a noun.
Examples without nouns:
- 「もうアメリカに住んで20年よ」「もう あめりか に すんで 20ねん よ」”I’ve been living in America for 20 years!”→「長いね！」”That’s a long time!”
- 「この鉛筆、短い！」”This pencil is short!”
Quiz Time!
In Japanese, there’s a word: 長靴 (ながぐつ). 靴 means “shoes”, so literally it means “long shoes”.
What kind of shoes do you think it is?
Hint: It’s not boots – Japanese people say “ブーツ” ぶーつfor stylish boots.
Answer: 長靴 means “rain boots”.
These days, fashionable versions are sometimes called “レインシューズ” れいんしゅーずor “レインブーツ”れいんぶーつ,
but about 10 years ago, they were all just called 長靴(ながぐつ).
Clothing Vocabulary
For upper clothing, sleeves that are long are called 長袖 (ながそで), and short sleeves are 半袖 (はんそで).
半 means “half”, but 半袖 isn’t exactly half-length—it’s even shorter! Still, that’s what they’re called.
Japanese can be pretty flexible with concepts like this.
Real-life Dialogues Using 「長さ」(Length)
Here are practical examples using the noun form 長さ (ながさ – length) in real-life situations.
These will help you understand not only how to use the word, but also what kind of responses are natural in conversation.
Example 1: At a Hair Salon
Situation: You’re getting a haircut. The stylist asks how much to cut.
- 「長さはどうします？」 – What about the length?
- 「長さはどうしましょうか？」 – What shall we do with the length?
- 「長さはどうされます？」 – What would you like to do with the length?
These are polite and common ways a hairstylist might ask. You can reply simply with:
「3センチくらい切ってください」「3せんち(3cm)くらい きって ください」– Please cut about 3 centimeters.
Example 2: Buying a Washing Machine
Situation: A couple is shopping for a washing machine and checking if it fits their space.
- 「横の長さ大丈夫かな？置ける？」「よこ の ながさ だいじょうぶ かな？おける？」– Do you think the width is okay? Can we fit it ?
- 「一応長さ測っておこうか」「いちおう ながさ はかって おこう か』– Let’s measure the length just in case.
In Japanese homes, space is often tight, so checking measurements is very common.
Conjugations of 「長い」and 「短い」
Here are common ways to conjugate the adjectives 長い (long) and 短い (short). Each form comes with real-life dialogue examples and context, helping learners grasp both grammar and everyday usage.
1. ～くなる (to become)
Usage: Used when something changes in length from what it originally was.
- 「爪が長くなった」「つめ が ながく なった」– My nails got longer.
- 「爪が長くなってきた」「つめ が ながく なって きた」– My nails have started getting longer.
- 「ズボンが短くなった」「ずぼん が みじかく なった」– These pants became shorter.
Situation: You’ve been growing your nails, or clothes have shrunk after washing. This form is very common when talking about physical changes.
2. 否定形 (Negative form)
- 長い → 長くない – not long
- 短い → 短くない – not short
Usage: Used to deny length or time expectations, e.g.,「あのロープは長くない」「あの ろーぷ は ながく ない」 “That rope isn’t long.”
3. 仮定形 (Conditional form)
- ① 長かったら / 短かったら – if it were long/short (spoken, casual)
- ② 長ければ / 短ければ – if it is long/short (written, polite)
Situation: You’re attending an event with an unknown duration and might want to leave if it takes too long.
- 「あんまり長かったら帰ろうか」「あんまり ながかったら かえろう か」– If it’s too long, shall we go home?
- 「あまりにも長ければ、帰りましょう」「あまりにも ながければ かえりましょう」– If it’s excessively long, let’s leave.
4. 想定系 (Speculative form – guessing or estimating)
- 長そう – looks long / seems long
- 短そう – looks short / seems short
Example 1:
Situation: You’re unsure how long an event will last.
- 「このイベント、何時まであるのかな？」「この いべんと なんじ まで ある の かな？」– I wonder what time this event ends.
- 「さぁ？長そうだけど…」「さあ？ ながそう だけど」– Who knows? But it looks long…
Example 2:
Situation: A couple is buying pants for their child, who isn’t present.
- 「このズボンかっこいい！」「この ずぼん かっこいい」– These pants are cool!
- 「ゆうくんには短そうだけど」「ゆうくん には みじかそう だけど」– They might look short on Yuu-kun though.
Personal Note
Someone recently asked me if I offer private lessons. I was so happy to receive that message!
But because of my children, I can’t manage lessons right now.
Still, I think having someone to ask questions when you’re curious is really helpful in language learning.
When you hear a line in anime or wonder how to say something like “I’m off!” (行ってきまーす), that’s a perfect time to learn!
If you don’t have someone to ask, feel free to message me on Facebook or X.
Just a note: I’m a woman, so I avoid anything scary or harmful—no in-person meetings, and no rude messages, please.
I’m happy to respond via text. Just ask me anything about Japanese!
