Mijikai is the Japanese i-adjective for ‘short’, explained

What does “mijikai” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “mijikai” to mean ‘short’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this i-adjective as it is sometimes used in Japanese textbooks. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “mijikai” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “mijikai”
  • Example #1: how to say “short” in Japanese
• Mijikakunai: the nai form of “mijikai”
  • Example #2: how to say “not short” in Japanese
• Mijikakatta: the ta form of “mijikai”
  • Example #3: how to say “was short” in Japanese
• Mijikakute: the te form of “mijikai”
  • Example #4: how to say “short and” in Japanese
• Mijikakereba: the ba form of “mijikai”
  • Example #5: how to say “if short” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “mijikai”

Below are the definition and meaning of “mijikai”.

• mijikai – 短い (みじかい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘short’ in Japanese.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “short” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• katana – 刀 (かたな) : a noun meaning ‘sword’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi no katana” to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “mijikai”. In this example, it works as the complement in the sentence. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier in front of a noun. For example, we can say “mijikai katana” to mean a ‘short sword’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing, I think. When we want to describe something short in Japanese, anyway, this i-adjective is a very good option.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “mijikai” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “mijikakunai”.

Mijikakunai: the nai form of “mijikai”

Below are the definition and meaning of “mijikakunai”.

• mijikakunai – 短くない (みじかくない) : the nai form of “mijikai”, which means ‘not short’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “mijikakunai” consists of the following two parts:

• mijikaku – 短く (みじかく) : one conjugation of “mijikai”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is very similar to that of “not”.

From these two parts, we can understand that “mijikakunai” is literally the nai form of “mijikai” and means ‘not short’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “not short” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• nippon – 日本 (にっぽん) : a noun meaning ‘Japan’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join “nippon” and “natsu”. The formed phrase literally means ‘summer in Japan’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is similar to those of some English prepositions.
• natsu – 夏 (なつ) : a noun meaning ‘summer’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “mijikakunai”. When we want to say “not short” in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.

Mijikakatta: the ta form of “mijikai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “mijikakatta”.

• mijikakatta – 短かった (みじかかった) : the ta form of “mijikai”, which means ‘was short’, ‘were short’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “mijikakatta” consists of the following two parts:

• mijikakat – 短かっ (みじかかっ) : one conjugation of “mijikai”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “mijikakatta” is literally the ta form of “mijikai” and means ‘was short’, ‘were short’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this ta form through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “was short” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• haru – 春 (はる) : a noun meaning ‘spring’ in Japanese.
• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works before “mijikakatta” to emphasize its meaning.

This is a typical usage of “mijikakatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “mijikai”, this ta form is the best option.

Mijikakute: the te form of “mijikai”

Below are the definition and meaning of “mijikakute”.

• mijikakute – 短くて (みじかくて) : the te form of “mijikai”, which means ‘short’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “mijikakute” consists of the following two parts:

• mijikaku – 短く (みじかく) : one conjugation of “mijikai”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “mijikakute” is literally the te form of “mijikai”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “mijikakute” is very useful when we want to use “mijikai” in front of another adjective, a verb, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “short and” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males. In the example, this works together with “no” to mean ‘my’ in Japanese.
• yowai – 弱い (よわい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘weak’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “mijikakute”. In this example, it has the smooth connection with “yowai”. When we want to use “mijikai” in front of another adjective like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.

Mijikakereba: the ba form of “mijikai”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “mijikakereba”.

• mijikakereba – 短ければ (みじかければ) : the ba form of “mijikai”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘short’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “mijikakereba” consists of the following two parts:

• mijikakere – 短けれ (みじかけれ) : one conjugation of “mijikai”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “mijikakereba” is literally the ba form of “mijikai”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “mijikakereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘short’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “if short” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kami – 髪 (かみ) : a noun meaning ‘hair’ in Japanese.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, the first one is used after “kami” to make the subject in the conditional clause. The second one is used after “kamigata” to make the subject in the second clause.
• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun which refers to something close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “kamigata” to say “this hairstyle” in Japanese.
• kamigata – 髪型 (かみがた) : a noun meaning ‘hairstyle’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• osusume – おすすめ : a noun meaning ‘recommendation’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “osusume” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “mijikakereba”. In the example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “kami ga mijikakereba”, which means ‘if your hair is short’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘short’ in Japanese, this ba form is a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “mijikai” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• mijikai – 短い (みじかい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘short’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• mijikakunai – 短くない (みじかくない) : the nai form of “mijikai”, which means ‘not short’ in Japanese.
• mijikakatta – 短かった (みじかかった) : the ta form of “mijikai”, which means ‘was short’, ‘were short’, or such in Japanese. This is the past tense form of “mijikai”.
• mijikakute – 短くて (みじかくて) : the te form of “mijikai”, which means ‘short’ in Japanese. When we want to use “mijikai” in front of another adjective, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
• mijikakereba – 短ければ (みじかければ) : the ba form of “mijikai”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘short’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.