Japanese word

短編

Pronunciation

Romajitanpen

Meaning

  • nounshort story

Example

この短編はとても面白いです。ko no tan pen wa to te mo omo shiro i de su

This short story is very interesting.

Illustration for 短編 (short story)

More examples

授業では学生が自作の短編を朗読しました。ju gyō de wa gaku sei ga ji saku no tan pen o rō doku shi ma shi ta

In class, the students read their own short stories aloud.

Core concept

It refers to a self-contained story, film, or poem whose form is kept shorter than a full-length work.

Common phrases

  • 短編を読むtan pen o yo mu

    read a short story

  • 短編を書くtan pen o ka ku

    write a short story

  • 短編を朗読するtan pen o rō doku su ru

    read a short story aloud

Similar words

掌編shōhen: A compact fictional narrative with its own complete plot and a very short form.

Definition in Japanese

小説・映画・詩などの、全体の長さが短い作品。shō setsu ei ga shi na do no zen tai no naga sa ga mijika i saku hin

Word origin

短編 (tanpen) joins 短 (tan, "short") and 編 (hen, "compile or arrange"); 編 has the established pronunciation pen in this compound, which names a work in a short format.

Usage tips

  • Japanese film programs often use 短編映画 (tanpen eiga) for a short film, making 短編 (tanpen) a visible category label as well as a word used in ordinary sentences.

Other meanings

  • short filmnoun
  • short poemnoun

Word lists with this word